Kayla: the American Witch
by torifire126
Summary: complete! Kayla is a normal teenager who worries about normal teenage things, until she finds out that her parents aren't her real parents and her real father wants to kill her, and she finds out that she has these powers that seem like magic.
1. Introduction of the Cast

**A/N: All right, since I am going back and re-uploading these chapters, I might as well start with an author's note.  Well, when I first started to write this ficcy, it wasn't supposed to be a hp ff.  I planned on it being an original story.  But, I began to post it on the hp site, and changed parts of my original idea.  So, the beginning doesn't seem at all like hp, and it shouldn't.  At the beginning, I only include some things that even relate to jkr's world, and that was how it was supposed to be.  When I finally finish this story, I plan on going back and editing out the parts that have anything to do with hp in it.  I will then repost it on fp.net.  I will post a link when that finally gets done if you want it, but that won't be for a while.  Now, I won't put any disclaimers on my ficcy.  For 2 reasons.  The first is that since I am posting this in the fanfiction category, it should be assumed that I don't own all of this.  If I posted it under original fiction, then I would have to.  Fanfiction implies that you don't own it, so it is redundant to say that you don't.  My other reason is that I actually own most of it, and the parts I don't, I am only using until I can come up with my own ideas.  Say, I am borrowing them, if you will.  I don't presume to know what jkr is thinking so I do not try.  My characters are my own.  The ones that are hers, I have changed so that they do what I want them to.  They are then my characters shaped from molds she wrote.  That being stated, on with my story.  I cannot promise however that her characters will hold big parts.  Because, in fact, they won't.  If you don't like my story, please don't read it.  No one is forcing you to.  I appreciate helpful constructive criticism.  Flames don't count.  Generic "I love this" don't either.  I don't claim to be perfect, so if you catch a mistake, please enlighten me.  Thank you.**

**Chapter 1**

Kayla Osborne, age 14, was bored from the top of her curly head down to her toes.  She absolutely hated the class she was in.  In fact, she hated all her classes this year.  They were way to easy and boring.  'Thankfully,' Kayla thought, 'only two more says of this torture.'  It was almost summer vacation and Kayla couldn't wait to leave.  Next year she would be going to her local public high school, Firebrook.  This teenager currently went to an average sized private school and she needed the extra options a public school offered.

As she sat at her desk, trying not to notice that her leg was going numb, Kayla heard the slight whisper of paper being passes.  She looked sown and on her desk was a note from her best friend, Samantha Blake.  Kayla unfolded the crumpled piece of paper and read the message inside: "Kayla, what do you think about going to the mall after school today?"

Quickly, Kayla wrote one word in reply: sure.  She passed the paper back and started to draw on the corner of her history book.  She just let her hand move and when she finally looked down, she gave a small gasp of surprise.  The girl had drawn a symbol of some sort that had been appearing in her dreams lately.  Kayla was really surprised that she had drawn it without looking because it was really detailed.  She was still staring in amazement at her doodle when the bell rang ending class.  Kayla didn't look up until Sam poked her in the side.

"C'mon.  Let's go," Sam said.  "If we hurry, we'll be able to see Jason and Kyle before we leave."  The mere mention of Jason Clayborn's name made Kayla snap out of her thoughts and jump out of her seat.  The two girls headed for their lockers, weaving between the other people crowding the hall.

They reached their lockers just as Jason Clayborn and Kyle gold arrived at theirs.  Kayla thought she was so lucky that her locker was right next to both her crush's and her best friend's.  She had liked Jason for years but had never had the courage to say anything to him.  She hoped that he was going to the same school she was next year.

"Hey guys," Kayla and Sam said as they opened their lockers.

"Hey," replied blond, blue-eyed Kyle.                       

"Yo," answered the gorgeous hazel-eyed Jason.

"Where are you guys going next year?" Kayla asked.

"My parents won't pay anything extra for high school so I get stuck going to public school," Kyle replied cynically.  "However, this creep gets sent to Bridgeton.  You know the big private school out a ways.  I wish I was going, but he says that he would rather stay here…"

"Oh," Kayla interrupted his tirade.  "Unless my parents change their minds, I am going to public high school next year, too."

"Same here," Sam added.  "C'mon, Kayla.  We better leave or we won't get to the mall before dinnertime.  Bye guys," she waved and then grabbed Kayla's arm and pulled her towards the exit.

The boys stared at the girls' retreating backs for a couple of seconds before Kyle turned his accusing blue eyes on his friend.  "I can't believe you man," he said angrily.  "You've been in love with Kayla since before 6th grade.  Why didn't you say something?"

"Huh?  You say something, bro?"  Kyle's message seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

"C'mon, let's go," Kyle said after he rolled his eyes and sighed.  He was determined to get those two together.

"Where are we going?"

"To the mall with the girls."

"What?!  Are you crazy?  Why would they want us going with them?"

"Let's just say that I have an idea that I want to try.  Now let's move."  They ran to catch up with Sam and Kayla and soon were within shouting distance.  "Hey!  Do you mind if we go with you?  We were just thinking that we might not be able to see each other very often next year."  The girls just looked at each other.  Sam raised an eyebrow and Kayla shrugged.

"Whatever," they said in unison.  The group made its way to the mall.  Kyle maneuvering so that Jason was forced next to Kayla.

*          *          *          *          *          *

Two hours later, Kayla unlocked her door, waved goodbye, and went inside.  She was very confused and wanted to think about things for a while.  "Mom," she shouted.  "I'm home.  I brought in the mail.  It's on the table.  I don't have any homework so I'll be in my room if you need me."  Kayla ran up the stairs to her room and collapsed onto her bed.  She lay on her back and stared at the white ceiling above her.

While they were at the mall, Kyle kept trying to push her and Jason together.  For instance, she kept tripping and falling into Jason and he kept running into her as if someone pushed him.  And every time they collided, Jason would glare at Kyle.  _It must be a guy thing_, she decided.

When they had left the mall, they broke into two groups.  Kyle and Sam headed east to where they lived (they lived on the same street), and Kayla and Jason went west to their community.  Kayla and Jason lived about a two-minute walk away from Jason.

As they walked, the two eighth-graders talked about school and other stuff.  "So Jason, why are you going to Bridgeton next year?"  Kayla asked.

"Well, my parents went there.  They say that it is a really good school and I will have a lot of opportunities if I go there.  What was I supposed to say: 'No, I don't want to go there, I'd rater go to Firebrook public high school with K-" Jason glanced at Kayla, blushed slightly and continued, his lapse barely audible.  "Kyle and my other friends."

"Oh," Kayla said looking up into Jason's gorgeous eyes.  She could have sworn that he was going to say Kayla not Kyle.  But whom was she trying to kid, why would he want to be with her.  Its not like he had feelings for her.  Or did he?  "I'm sorry to hear that.  Well, maybe if you don't like it there you can transfer?"

"I doubt it," he said, smiling slightly at her.  "When I even tried to ask a question like that, the said that within a month I would make so many new friends that I would forget I even waned to switch in the first place."

"You'll just have to make new friends then.  After all, there's bound to be at least one person you'd be willing to talk to during the day."

"I guess.  But what if there isn't?  What if everyone hates me and I make no friends?"

"Stop whining you big baby.  If it comes to that, and you can't transfer, you live through school and visit Kyle and the others whenever and as often as you can."

"That would work," Jason replied.  They waked in silence for a few minutes.  Jason, thinking about what Kyle had said to him about Kayla.  "Would you be willing to see me, Kayla?"

Startled, Kayla looked up into his eyes.  Not seeing the answer to her question she asked, "What do you mean?"

Flustered, Jason replied, "It's just that…um…you're really easy to talk to. You listen and give good advice.  If I had said half of what I told you to Kyle or the guys, they would have laughed and changed the subject.  Besides, if I have no friends there, who will help me with my homework?"  They both laughed and after a few minutes reached Kayla's house.

"Jason, just so you know," Kayla began.  "I would be willing to see you no matter what.  You could be the most popular guy in school and I would still talk to you."  And then, because she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, she added, "After all, if you're not there, who will make me laugh?"  That was when they had reached her driveway.

"Kayla!"  Her mom's call brought her back to the present.  "Dinner time!"  Kayla realized that she was starving and so she ran down the stairs and into the dining room, her dark curls bouncing as she went.  She skidded to a halt and flopped into "her" chair.  It was the same chair that she had been sitting in for as long as she could remember.  It didn't feel right if she ate sitting in a different chair.

"So, Kayla," her dad said as her parents sat down and began to eat.  "How was your day?"

"Great.  I went to the mall with Sam, Jason, and Kyle."

"Anything interesting happen?"  Her mom asked and Kayla turned scarlet remembering what happened at the mall and then her talk with Jason on the way home.

"Not really," she replied though.  Her mother, seeing the blush, gracefully changed the subject.

"So, where are Kyle and Jason going to school next year?"

"Umm…Kyle is going to Firebrook with Sam and me, but Jason is going to this school called Bridgeton.  I'd never heard of it before, but Kyle had.  Jason didn't really want to talk about it much."  With that, Kayla turned her full attention to her meal.  It was a good thing she did or she would have seen the look her parents traded.  The rest of the meal was pretty much silent on Kayla's part, but even she could tell that something was wrong.  Her parents seemed to be talking in strained voices as if they were trying to keep everything normal.

After dinner, Kayla jest went to her room and read a book.  She didn't really feel like doing anything else.  She obviously didn't realize how tired she was until she fell asleep reading her book.

Kayla woke up a couple hours later to hear her parents having an argument.

"We should tell her Michael," Kayla could hear her mother's voice clearly from her room.

"But, Joy," Mr. Osborne argued. "If we tell her we run the risk of her becoming angry, upset, or event terrified.  And we're not even sure Hope will go along with it."

"You haven't been listening to me," her mother continued.  This surprised Kayla to no end.  She had never seen or heard her parents argue before in her life.  Not once.  "She is the one who thinks that we should-"

"How would you know?  It's not like you've talked to her in years-"

"When we went our separate ways, she told me that I would have to tell her eventually and that I would know when.  I am telling you that we need to tell her **_now_**, Michael."

"Do what you want.  But don't come crying to me when it doesn't turn out how you planned."  This was when Kayla's exhaustion caught up with her and she fell back asleep only to have the dream with the strange symbol in it.


	2. The Truth

**Chapter 2**

The next morning Kayla awoke to the sunlight streaming in through her window and into her eyes.  She sat up at once in a panic.  _Oh My Gosh,_ she thought.  _Why didn't anyone wake me up for school?  I am soooooooo late.  I am gonna be in deep trouble._  She jumped out of bed and ran downstairs and into the kitchen only to be stopped short by what she saw.

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee with a woman who looked remarkable like Mrs. Osborn.  They were talking softly so Kayla couldn't hear what they were discussing, but it obviously needed to be interrupted.  Kayla cleared her throat, loudly, and then said, "Mom, why didn't you wake me up for school?"

Her mother must have jumped a mile and the other lady took one look at Kayla and her eyes grew to the size of saucers.  "Oh, good morning, Kayla," her mom began, slightly flustered.  "There was something important that we needed to talk about today, so I called you in sick.  And since you weren't going to school, I saw no reason to wake you up early."

"Does this have to do with what you and dad were shouting about last night?"

"You heard that?"  Kayla's mom whispered incredulously.

Kayla looked at her mother as if she had grown an extra two heads.  "Of course I heard that.  You were arguing so loud that I am surprised you didn't get calls from the police to keep it down."

"For your information miss-smarty-pants, we were not arguing, we were having a heated discussion with a difference of opinions."

"Sure, mom.  Try that on someone who isn't a teenager.  I use that line practically everyday.  Why don't you just admit to yourself that you guys were arguing?"

"Because we weren't-" Then Kayla's mother glanced at their guest who was smiling in open amusement and said, "oh, never mind.  It isn't that important, Kayla.  What is important is that we are going to have a little family chat.  You, me, and…" again, she looked at the smiling guest "…my sister."

Kayla felt her jaw drop about a mile.  "Y-y-y-you don't have a s-s-s-s-sister.  Do you?  And why have I never met her?"

Her mother and her aunt just exchanged glances and then started to laugh.  "Is she always so much like me?" her aunt asked around her laughter.

"Always.  Now do you see what you have landed me with?" her mother then turned to Kayla.  "Yes I do have a sister.  And the reason you have never met her is the same reason we need to have a talk.  I think that Hope should start telling her part of the story.  From the beginning," she added, glaring at her sister."

"But, mom-"

"No, that's just it.  I am not really your mother and you need to know why," Joy snapped impatient with all of the questions.  She quickly realized what she said and clamped her hand on her mouth and just shook her head.

Hope looked at her sister and took it as her cue to begin.  "Kayla, what I am about to tell you is known to precious few people and is meant to be kept that way.   I am telling you for your own safety, but you are NOT to tell ANYONE.  Do you understand?  NOT ANYONE!!  This is highly secret and of the dangerous kind, not only to you but also to all of the people you love.  You might not understand it all, but try to believe me when I swear that by all I hold dear, I am not making this up!

"It started when I was about your age.  I was just graduating 8th grade and getting ready to go off to high school.  And as if that wasn't enough, I started noticing that weird things kept happening when I was around.  Once I remember gong to a baseball game with my family and I could tell if the batter was going to strike out before the ball was thrown.  Once, I was talking to a friend and I knew what she was going to say before the words left her mouth.  I could go on and on, but I think you understand.

"Then, one day, I got this strange letter in the mail.  It was from Bridgeton High School and it looked harmless enough on the outside so I just assumed it was another private school trying to get me to go there so I opened it.  It was strange.  Inside the envelope, was a piece of paper.  The weird thing was that it was blank.  Nothing was written on it.  I was going to throw it out when all of a sudden, the paper started to glow and my hands started to feel warm and slightly tingly.  And then, as soon as it started, it stopped at once and words began to form on the paper:

"'Dear Miss Hope Forest,

            It has been brought to our attention that you hold great capabilities and mind gifts.  It would be our great pleasure if you would attend Bridgeton School of the Gifted and Talented next year.  Please write your answer on the bottom of this piece of paper.  If you are interested write yes and your address on this piece of paper and a representative from our school will arrive at your house promptly at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon at your house.  Please feel free to discuss this with your family before replying.

Sincerely, Tori Rosenthal

Principle of Bridgeton School for the Gifted and Talented

"Well, I was a little startled at the strange letter, so I understood that 'gifted and talented' meant special powers, not geniuses.  So I went and told my parents and they said it sounded cool, so I did what the letter asked.   And sure enough, on 3:30 that Sunday afternoon, the doorbell rang and the representative showed up.  Not just any representative, but Tori Rosenthal herself.

"She explained the kinds of things that I would be learning and gave me a course booklet and told me to register soon or I would be shut out of every class I wanted.  I registered that very day.  I can't remember exactly what classes I signed up for, and it is not very important.  What is important is that whatever their names are, that isn't all of what you learn there.  The course names were just cover-ups for what we were really learning.  We needed to be able to tell our non-gifted friends what classes we were taking without them becoming suspicious.

"I don't remember too much from the beginning of my time at Bridgeton, except that I was very unhappy.  Most of my junior high friends were at Firebrook and we didn't see each other much, and when we did get together, they always acted differently towards me than they had in the past.  I lost many of my early good friends.  And for some reason I had a little trouble making friends at first.  I remember crying a lot during that time.  It was as if I didn't fit in either with my old friends or with my new classmates

"But gradually, I began to get to know people in more than one of my classes and so by the end of the first year, I had so many friends I have lost touch with many of them over the years.

"My sophomore year I remember with particular clarity.  You see, I met Charles then.  He was a year older than me and was the best-looking guy in the school.  It turned out that he was in both my "math" and "science" classes.  I practically fell in love with him at first sight.  But, I never thought that I was very good looking, so I didn't think I stood a chance with him, so I hid my feelings and pretended that I felt nothing towards him more than a good friendship.  I think it was because of that that we became close.  We became practically best friends and did nearly everything together.  I confided in him more often than my friends of the previous year.  And the same with him.  However, I still thought that he never thought of me as more than a friend.  I was wrong.  On Valentine's Day he brought me six roses: two each in red, white, and pink.  He asked me out then and of course I said yes.

"If possible, we grew closer.  While we had our occasional fights, we always quickly got back together.  And on our last date before he left for college, he gave me a ring.  It wasn't an engagement ring; we both knew that we weren't ready for that kind of commitment, but rather it was a promise that he would always care about me.  And, although, we stayed together when he graduated, we talked less.  It was during this time that he changed: for the worse.

"I didn't see him again until I graduated.  I hardly recognized him when I saw him, but I didn't use as much caution as I should have.  After I graduated, he asked me to move into his apartment with him.  My parents saw no problem with it, and frankly I didn't care.  I would have moved in with him anyways.

"Soon after I moved in, we started…um…" Kayla could tell that Hope was having trouble saying this, especially with the deep red creeping into her cheeks, "uh…well…we started sleeping together.  You must understand that we were young and carefree without a care in the world.  At least, I thought we both were.

"My life was great.  Until January.  In January I found out two things that changed my life forever.  I was beginning to feel sick all the time so I went to the doctor, who said I was pregnant.   I decided that I would wait to tell Charles, because I didn't know how he would react.  I also decided that I would name my child either Kayleen, or Drew.  Kayleen because it comes from "kay" meaning rejoice, and drew comes from the word meaning trustworthy.  Both are important characteristics for people to have.

"I never did get a chance to tell Charles that I was pregnant with his child.  The night I found out, as we were lying in bed, he told me his plans for the future.  He said that he planned on controlling the world, with me at his side.  Charles said that there was nothing that could stand in his way, except for one person.  He had always had a really strong gift for sensing the future, so I believed him.  It was scary who he said would stop him though.  He said a very young girl would stop him and her name would be Rejoice.  When I heard this I became petrified, for that was what I planned on naming my baby.  I couldn't have changed her name because that would have changed her destiny, and if she was meant to defeat her evil father, than changing her name could have dire consequences.

"Charles then said that this young girl would defeat him twice, because the first time she would be very young and not able to finish him off entirely.  He then said that he was glad I was there, because he wouldn't have had the strength to do what was necessary if I wasn't there to back him up.

"After he said this, I knew what I had to do.  I understood that the first time Kayleen beat her father was before she was born.  By me leaving, I was defeating him because he wouldn't be able to do everything he needed to do very quickly.  That night, while he was asleep, I left as quickly and as quietly as I could, and never once looked back.  I kept myself shielded from his thoughts and teleported to my older sister Joy's home.  I explained everything to her and I stayed there until my baby was born, and then left my daughter in her care.  I knew that Charles was looking for me, and so I never stayed in one place for a long time.  He never found me.  And if he had known that I had had a daughter, he would have hunted her down and killed her.

"This might be hard to understand Kayla, but your real name is Kayleen Madison Forest.  You are my daughter, and you are our last hope."  Hope said this last bit very quickly.


	3. Confrontation

**A/N: Maybe I should point something out…the italics are supposed to be thoughts.  That will stay the same throughout.  Later, when they are speaking telepathically it will be in italics since technically it is their thoughts.  The stuff in single quotes is what they are typing online through aim.  I chose a time to write this in and this is it.  If you don't like the aim idea, pretend they are speaking over the telephone.**

**Chapter 3**

Kayla wasn't exactly sure what to make of this.  Suddenly, she finds out, that whom she thought were her parents weren't, and her father wanted to kill her.  Just a great way to spend the end of eighth grade.  "So what am I supposed to do about this?"  She asked Hope.

"You are going to go to Bridgeton and learn how to use the powers I know you have.  And then we will play it by ear.  My guess is that if you start using powers regularly, he will find out and come for you.  I know that he has been carrying out his plans, just very slowly, as if he hasn't the heart to do much else.  If he doesn't come after you, you will probably have to go and stop him.  Listen closely though.  I don't want you acting any differently.  Although I love you and hated to give you up, I know that you found a good home with Joy and Michael and that they love you very much, just like I know that you care about them.  I am not taking you away from your parents.  Yes, your parents; not by blood, maybe, but in their hearts they are.  I just hope that you can find someplace in your heart to love me back."  Hope was obviously tearing up at this last bit, so Kayla got up and hugged her biological mother.

"Without you I wouldn't be here," she said.  "I don't really know you well enough to say anything else, but I promise, that I love you just for that.  So what am I supposed to tell my friends about switching schools?"

"Just tell them that your mom decided that you would have a chance for a better future at Bridgeton than at Firebrook.  So let's go sign you up for classes."  With that they all got up and Hope teleported them all to Bridgeton School for the Gifted and Talented. 

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

A few hours later, Kayla, Hope, and Joy returned to the house.  Kayla's head was crammed full of information about the school she was going to next year.  All of the classes weren't what they seemed.  In everyone like English, history, math, science and all the elective classes they learned something else, something magical.

In fact, Kayla was so preoccupied that she forgot something until she was lying in bed trying to go to sleep.  "Oh my gosh," she whispered loudly.  "I am going to school with Jason next year.  Wait a sec.  That means that Jason has these gifts, too.  I think I need to have a little chat with my good ole buddy Jason."

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Kayla spent the entire morning wondering how she would get Jason alone to talk to him.  Then, it finally hit her.  The bus.

"Jason," she said while they were at their lockers at the end of the day.  "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Um…okay," he replied, slightly startled.  "How about you sit with me on the bus and we talk on the way home?"

"Well…I am not sure you want the whole bus to hear our conversation…"

"I've got it!" Jason exclaimed after a few minutes of thinking.  "You'll get off at my stop and as we walk to your house, we can talk about…whatever it was you wanted to talk about."

"I knew that if I gave you enough time, you'd think of it eventually…"

"You mean that you had already thought of that?!"

"Yep," Kayla replied, laughing, as she pulled Jason onto the bus.

Ten minutes later, they stepped off the bus.  "Okay, Kayla.  Spill.  What was so important that we had to speak today, and yet that we couldn't talk about on the bus?"

Kayla took a deep breath and tried to ignore the way his eyes glinted and how his mouth turned up at the corners in a half-smile.  "Jason," she said innocently, "why didn't you tell me what you were going to be learning next year at Bridgeton?"

Jason, already wary of Kayla's too innocent tone, stopped dead in his tracks when she finished.  "Um…I…uh…didn't think it was that important.  I'm taking English, math, sci-

"You twit!  I meant what you are really going to be learning next year."

"I have no idea what you mean, Kayla.  See I've got my schedule right here…"

"Idiot!  I have one, too.  But I also know what I'm really taking.  I know those names are just so people don't get suspicious!"

"You mean you know about the "Gifted and Talented" part?"  Jason whispered incredulously, completely ignoring the fact that Kayla practically said that she was going to Bridgeton next year.  Kayla just nodded.  "You do not know how good it is to finally be able to talk to someone about the truth…wait a sec!  You just said that you had a schedule, too.  Does that mean that you're not going to Firebrook next year?  Please tell me that you are going to Bridgeton next year.   I would be great to know someone else who was going.

"Yeah," it was a good thing that Hope and Joy had told her what she could tell Jason.  "When I got home from the mall the other day, my mom told me she wanted to talk to me.  She explained about the abilities I have the potential for and she said that she thought I should go to Bridgeton."

Jason could tell that she wasn't telling him the whole truth, but decided not to press the issue.  She would tell him eventually…

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Later that night, Kayla was talking online to her friends, mainly Sam.  'Um…Sam…' she typed, 'I'm really sorry about this, but my parents decided not to send me to Firebrook next year.'  Kayla pushed enter and heard the familiar ding, go off.  _God bless AIM,_ she thought.

'Really, where are you going?' appeared on her screen seconds later.

'Bridgeton.'  

'With Jason?!'

'Yep.  You're not too angry are you?'                  

'Why on earth would I be angry?  I want you to be with Jason more than you want you to be with Jason.  And who knows, maybe next year, without me or Kyle in the way, it might happen.'

'Well, thanks for the positive outlook on life.'

'Bye, Kayla.  I gotta go.'  Said Sam's final message before she signed off.

Kayla spent a few more minutes talking to her other friends when, Jason got on.  She remembered a couple of questions that she forgot to ask him about Bridgeton.  'Hey, Jason,' she typed.  'Want to answer a couple of my questions?'

'Sure.  But you know, you are able to communicate telepathically with me.  You have the abilities.'

'I'm not supposed to try to use my powers before I get to Bridgeton.  Someone is going to come help me learn the basics before I go though.  That way I am not too far behind.'  Kayla neglected from mentioning that her 'tutor' would not be supplied by Bridgeton.  But, rather, would be her mother, Hope.

A couple of blocks away, Jason read her message and cursed silently.  He had his own motives for wanting to speak mind-to-mind with him before she was trained.  Until she trained her mind to think of nothing but her message, her thoughts would leak through and the other person would 'hear' them.  He was counting on her not knowing this so he could possibly learn two things from her thoughts.  Why she was really going to Bridgeton.  And…what her feelings towards him were.  Before, when she wasn't moving on with him, he could still like her, but since he wouldn't see her very often, it wouldn't be a big deal and he could move on.  But, now that she was going to Bridgeton, it would be harder.

'So,' he typed.  'What did you want to ask?'

'I know it is really stupid and I don't need to worry about it till the fall…'

'Spit it out, Kayla!!'

'Okay.  How do I get there?'          

'Well, it is a lot like non-gifted people get to school.  We take a bus.  Although, it takes us all over in the blink of an eye.  No bumpy rides.'

'Oh,' Kayla typed.  'I guess I will find out when we go'

'Well, since Bridgeton is a national school, it also goes all over the country.'

"Omg, Jason!  Do you know what I just realized?'

'What?'

'Tomorrow is graduation!!!!!!!!!'                

'Oh, yeah.  Look, my mom is getting angry, I gotta go.'

'Seeya.'


	4. Summer

**A/N:  This is the chapter where I start to incorporate a little bit from the hp universe.  You will figure it out when you get to it.**

**Chapter 4                **

I can't believe that we are finally free of that school!" Sam shouted after graduation, at their party.

  
"I know," Kayla agreed. "But it is kinda depressing. I am going to miss seeing you guys everyday."

  
"Say," Jason began, "what d'you guys think of doing something together this summer before we go back to school. After all, it might be hard to get together during the year. A chorus of "yeah," "sure," and "whatever" greeted this suggestion. 

  
"Sam is already staying with me for a month while her parents are on vacation, but you guys can come, too. My parents won't have a problem with it since we have a guest bedroom the guys can sleep in. But, to be on the safe side, I'll ask when they pick me up tonight," Kayla said. 

  
"How about you call us to finalize plans?" Jason reasoned. Sam and Kyle shared a glance, both knowing that the other was trying to hook up Kayla and Jason before they began high school.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

"Sam! Your parents are here!" shouted Kayla's mom as she opened the door.   
"OMG!" Kayla cried. "I can't believe it has already been a month!" 

  
"I know!" Sam responded. "You have to promise to call me once school starts. I want to hear all about Bridgeton." 

  
"I promise!" Kayla cried tearfully. She and Sam hugged each other, crying the whole time, while Jason and Kyle exchanged glances that only too clearly said: 'Girls! So weird!' Luckily, both Kayla and Sam were too busy saying goodbye to notice, or the guys would have been in danger of life and limb. 

  
Soon, Kyle's parents came to pick him up, too. "Seeya, man," he said to Jason. "Call me. We need to talk." Jason, knowing full well that it was going to be about him and Kayla, blushed and nodded. 

  
Jason was just planning on walking home. So, as soon as the others left, he got his stuff and then turned around to talk to Kayla. "Remember, be at my house at 6:30 on August 26 to catch the bus to Bridgeton." Then, greatly daring, he leaned down and kissed Kayla lightly on the cheek. "Bye," he said before turning on his heel and walking out the door, leaving a flabbergasted Kayla to stare after him, smiling slightly.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Early on the morning of August 26, Kayla and Jason were waiting outside Jason's house for their bus.  While they were waiting, they compared schedules and it turned out that they had every class together.

"Well, it isn't that uncommon," Jason explained, "there are so many required coursed we have to take freshman year, but only a limited number of sections of each class.  As we get older, we will begin to have fewer and fewer classes together."

"Jason, are we the only people on our bus?"

"Didn't I already tell you?"  Jason asked rhetorically.  "The bus can do this thing like teleportation so the entire country is divided into regions.  The school isn't anywhere near here, actually.  I just let Kyle believe that so he wouldn't get suspicious.  Our bus actually has people on it from Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky."

"Remember when you said you didn't know anyone going to Bridgeton?  Was it true?"

"Well…not really.  There are a couple of people who I have known since I was born, but I haven't seen them in a while.  There's Tori and Keri Rose, they're twins; James Curtis, we call him Aries; and Jacob Rogers, please, call him Jake.  He hates Jacob.  They're all on our bus, too.  I'll introduce you to them all.  I think you will like them."

"What kind of sports does our school participate in?"

"Well, in order to keep our cover of being a normal high school, we have normal sports like football, soccer, and lacrosse.  But, when we compete with other schools, we normally do pretty awful.  Other schools assume that it is because we concentrate more on scholastics that on athletics.  We let them think that.  The real reason is that we participate in another sport in a worldwide competition with other schools like ours.  The only country that doesn't participate is Great Britain.  But, then, their school curriculum is structured different than ours.  They play the sport; too, just they have an inter-house championship.  The sport is called Quidditch…"  *He then proceeded to tell her the rules to Kayla, I am just too lazy to type them out since you already know the rules*  "…I think you would make a really good seeker; you have the right build for it.  Or even a keeper, you might be fast enough.  I know for a fact though, that tryouts are general:  you try out for the team, and the coach decides what position you play.  Maybe I can show you how to play.  That way we can both tryout together. Oh, look there is the bus."

Kayla turned around, and sure enough, a large yellow bus was approaching them.  As it pulled up next to them, Kayla could just make out the words 'Bridgeton School for the Gifted and Talented' painted in black letters on the side.  "Jason," she whispered, "I am really nervous.  What if no one likes me?"

"Kayla, you worry too much," Jason laughed.  "They'll love you.  Besides you always have yours truly to fall back upon."  He made an over-dramatic bow to her.  "Your humble servant at your command."

Kayla laughed, her tension released, just as Jason had hoped.  She leaned down to help him up, just as the bus pulled up.  The two friends climbed on the bus and made their way to the back where four kids were waving and motioning to the empty seat behind the two boys and in front of the two girls.

"We saved it for you, Jase," said one of the girls who were identical except for their clothes.

"Thanks, Tor.  Guys, this is Kayla.  Kayla, this is Tori, Keri, Jake, and James."  Kayla made sure to place each name and face together in her mind so she wouldn't mix them up later.  As she sat down next to Jason, she smiled shyly at his friends.

Jason notices James (or Aries) looking at Kayla and glared at him.  Aries noticed the dagger eyes and smiled slyly at Jason.  And, in that mysterious language of men, stated that he understood that Kayla was off limits to him.  But, he didn't think that it would be a problem, as he could tell that Kayla returned Jason's feelings.  Just, neither of them knew how the other felt.  Well, then, it would be his job to make sure that the two saw what was so obvious to the rest of the world.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

By lunch, they had already had English, art, history, and Spanish.  After lunch, they only had biology and geometry.  In all of them except history they were learning something to do with their powers.  In history, they were really learning history.

By lunch, Kayla had become fast friends with Tori and Keri who began to call her their "long-lost triplet."  She had even become good friends with Jake and James.  In fact, by lunch, a lot of the other students, both upper- and lower-classmen had started to call the six, "the 6 musketeers."

As they ate lunch, they talked about their teachers and their classes.  It turned out that they all had every single class together.  The only thing they did in classes today was talk about what they were going to learn and get lists of supplies they would need.  They wouldn't actually begin to learn anything until the next day.


	5. The Kiss

**A/N: This chapter may seem floofy and extraneous, but, trust me, it is important.  It will become apparent later, though…**

**Chapter 5**

"C'mon, Kayla!" shouted Tori.  "We are gonna be late for tryouts!"

"I'm coming!  I'm coming!" she yelled in reply.  Kayla could hardly believe that she had already been at school for nearly two months.  She could hardly remember a time when she wasn't using her powers or hanging out with her fellow musketeers, as even they had begun calling themselves.  They even started using 'one for all and all for one!' as their motto.

Kayla left the locker room, carrying the broom she would be using for tryouts.  She decided that she would like to be seeker or keeper, but if she even made the team, she would count herself lucky.  She was nervous, but Jason and the others said she was a natural and was sure to get a place on the team.

The girls joined Jake, James and Jason in the stands, waiting for the coach.  As they sat down Coach MacMahan walked up and started talking to the twenty some students who showed up for tryouts.  "Hello, everyone.  I would like to personally thank all of you for coming today and would like to explain to all of you exactly what we are doing today.  There are 24 of you here, and I can only accept 14; one player and reserve for each position.  Now, how we are going to do this is as follows.  I will divide you into 2 teams of 12.  You will all get a chance to play each position for 10 minutes.  I will post the team list tomorrow before school starts outside of room 149."

The musketeers were all placed on a team together.  Kayla was to play seeker first, then chase, then keeper, and finally beater.  She mounted her broom and kicked off into the air at the sound of Coach MacMahan's whistle.  She whizzed through the air like lightning feeling the familiar thump of her heart as she flew over the stadium, looking for the snitch.

Kayla was so focused she never noticed what her friends were doing.  And, then, she saw it.  Hovering a foot from the ground was the golden snitch.  She leaned the handle of her broom down and zoomed towards the grass.  She dodged bludgers and finally, she stretched out her arm, and firmly caught the snitch in her hand.

The stadium erupted wit cheers.  Everyone had stopped what he or she was doing the moment Kayla had begun her dive in order to see what she did.  "Okay, everyone, SWITCH!" the coach yelled even though it had only been 5 minutes.  Kayla spent the next 30 minutes, or so playing the other positions.  She thought she did pretty well and couldn't wait to see if she made the team.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The next morning, the bus was really quiet, as the musketeers were all worried about making the team.  After they went to their lockers, the six friends dropped their stuff off in their english/telepathy class and then all but ran to room 149 to see the team roster.

They weren't the only ones.  There was a large crowd around the door, and many people were walking away upset.

The musketeers pushed to the front to see the list.  It read as follows: (player, reserve)

Seeker: Kayla O., Josh B.

Keeper: Rachel M., Krystal L.

Beater: Tori R., Billy J.

Beater: Keri R., Kenny C.

Chaser: Jason C., Lisa M.

Chaser: James C., Sara G.

Chaser: Jacob R., Ali T.

The Musketeers stared at the postings in amazement, for all of 5 seconds, and then began to shout, "We made it!  We made it!" to the annoyance of everyone else.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The next couple of weeks were completely hectic for the six friends.  Between their developing powers, schoolwork, and Quidditch practice, they had very little spare time.  It turned out, that although she was seeker, Kayla was training, for the most part, with the keeper.  This was supposed to help her improve her ability to catch small objects and to gain speed and endurance.   

Every spare moment they had, the group of friends put into practicing.  They became very good, and after seeing how devoted they were to the sport, the older students stopped griping that so many freshmen made the team.

On top of all of this excitement, Kayla had something else to worry about.  Or, rather, someone.  Lately she had been receiving warnings in the form of notes in her books.  She told no one about these.  Not Hope, not even Jason.  She wasn't sure whom she could trust.  She planned on keeping it a secret unless someone noticed something.  No sense in involving anyone else in her problems.

However, although her intentions were good, they were not meant to be.

It was after a particularly strenuous practice when Kayla walked into the locker rooms.  It was after she changed when she opened her locker to get her stuff.  A piece of paper fell out.  It was exactly like all of the others she had received: white paper with tiny, neat black wording.

"Beware, Girl," it read.  "You will not defeat me.  You cannot defeat me.  You will lose.  You will die."  This was the 10th such note, and Kayla couldn't take it anymore.  She started to tremble and then she collapsed on the bench and cried.  Even though she was the only girl there, she tried to stifle her sobs because Jason was waiting for her and she didn't want him to hear her.

Unfortunately, for her, Jason's voice could be heard shouting through the door, "Kayla, can I come in?"

She quickly dried her tears and splashed cold water on her face in the hopes that Jason wouldn't notice.  "Sure, come on it."

Jason walked through the door, took one look at Kayla, and knew something was up.  Kayla looked entirely too cheerful.  He knew she was under a lot of stress lately, and he wanted to find out why.  He had known her since they were little, and so he knew all of her moods.  He could tell she was upset, but he must tread carefully if she was going to tell him, or, for that matter, let him live.

 "Kayla, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  In fact, I've never been better."

"Its not nice to lie to your best friend," he said quietly and without any hint of a joke.  "Kayla, you can lie to your parents, the girls, Jake and James, and even to yourself, but not to me.  I can sense it a mile away, so, don't even try.  So, care to tell me what is wrong?"  He looked into her eyes and wished that she would drop the impenetrable shield around her thoughts.

As she looked into his gorgeous eyes, Kayla had to fight the urge to tell him everything.  "I can't," she muttered.  "Can we just go?  I want to go home."  She started to walk around him.  But, before she could evade him, he reached out and caught her arm.

He moved his hands to her shoulders, putting himself between her and the door.  "We are not leaving until you tell me, Kayla," he growled and shook her.  "You know I am stronger than you physically, and this room is guarded against powers so no one can pull any pranks."  She just stared defiantly into his eyes.  "Dammit, Kayla!  I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me in!  You have just got to trust me!"  His voice had risen to a yell and his eyes glinted dangerously.

Kayla suddenly fell to the floor and started t sob.  Jason knelt next to her and just held onto her until she stopped crying; all the while saying that he was sorry.  "Its not you, Jason," Kayla finally managed to stutter.  "I guess I should trust someone.  And since I would trust you about everything else, I might as well tell you."  She told him what Hope had told her.  She even told him about the threat notes.

When she finally finished, she collapsed into Jason, sobbing, her face pressed up against his chest.  She could feel every beat his heart took, and she suddenly got very hot.  After a few minutes, Jason pushed her off of him and cupped her face in his hands.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Kayla," he whispered, "I promise."  And, then, before he could stop himself, he leaned down, and kissed her lightly on the lips.  When she didn't pull away, he grew slightly braver and kissed her again with slightly more passion.  He then looked down at her and blushed.  "You do not know how long I have wanted to do that for."

"If it is anywhere near as long as I've wanted to do that for, I think I know."  Suddenly, Kayla started to laugh.  Jason just gave her a look that clearly imparted his fear for her sanity.  "Do you know how long Kyle and Sam have been trying to hook us up?  I think they were betting on sometime in October.  And here we are, end of November, and we only just now realized how we truly felt about each other."

Jason suddenly realized what was so funny.  "Not to mention Aries, Jake, and the girls.  It seemed that everyone knew how we felt except us."

"Hmmm.  Yeah," Kayla said as she held him tighter to herself.

"C'mon, let's go.  I'll get you home safely."  They had recently learned how to teleport and were supposed to be practicing as much as they could, so they teleported to Kayla's house.  Jason kissed Kayla again and then teleported to his house.

Kayla was so happy.  She ran inside and up to her room and immediately called Sam, who she hadn't talked to in a few weeks.


	6. Game Time

**Chapter 6**

The next day, Friday, Kayla and Jason held hands while they were waiting for the bus.  They had agreed not to keep their relationship a secret from their friends.  Kayla had also told Jason not to tell anyone about how she was being watched and that someone wanted to kill her.

As they walked up the stairs of the bus, everyone on board broke into cheers, whistles, and claps.  Apparently they had all heard that Jason and Kayla had finally decided to go out.  Who told them, no one knew.  As they sat down, trying not to notice the knowing stares or the jealous glances (after all, they were both pretty good looking, other people had crushes on them, too), the 6 musketeers began to discuss their up and coming first Quidditch match.  It would take place that night versus Russia.  Therefore, the lot of them were wearing their uniforms.  It was really amazing how much spirit the school had when it came to Quidditch.  As the group of friends walking through the halls, other students clapped as they passed or wished them good luck.  Because it was the first game of the season, the team expected a sold out game and they were getting nervous as the day wore on.

All through their 7th bell math/teleportation class, the friends were bouncing up and down.  They could barely concentrate, and couldn't wait to get out of class.

Because it was an international league meant to promote relations between students, there would always be a dance after each game, open to anyone who was at the game and had a ticket to prove it.  The dances would always be informal so that the away team and fans wouldn't have to bring their nice clothes with them.  It was really just a chance to socialize and make friends with those of other countries.  Everyone was looking forward to it.  Especially Tori, Keri, and Kayla.  They couldn't wait.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

After school, the entire team, plus the reserves, got onto the bus that would transport them and their gear to Russia.  They needed a bus, because although they knew how to teleport, it was more difficult over seas, and so there were restrictions and blocks in place so that students couldn't teleport outside the U.S.A.  Other busses would pick up the students who were going to the game later.

Once in Russia, the team and reserves went into the locker rooms for a last minute pep talk.  "Well, team," began coach MacMahan.  The team was all ready to play and was sitting on the locker room benches to listen to his speech.  Kayla was sitting with Jason's arm around her waist.  "We have a great team this year and we have been working really hard at practices.  I know we can win even though Russia's team won the world finals last year.  I happen to know that their best seeker graduated along with 2 of their main chasers, and their keeper is out with a broken arm.  They are playing with last year's reserves and so they don't stand a chance against our team.  Now, let's go win one for Bridgeton!!!!!!"  The 14 students listening to his passionate speech jumped up and started to shout with enthusiasm.

The 7 players grabbed their brooms (both teams would be riding Stratus50's so that neither team had an unfair advantage from the beginning) and marched out onto the field and waited for the referee to blow his whistle signaling the start of the game.  As soon as it sounded, Kayla shot into the air and began her search for the snitch.

Twenty minutes later, there was still no sign of the snitch but Bridgeton was beating Russia's team 70 to 10, but they were getting tired, and it was getting dark.  Kayla needed to catch the snitch, and she needed to catch it soon.  She circled the field a few more times, and then she saw it.  A few inches above the ground, glinting in what little light there was left, was the Golden Snitch.  She quickly glanced around and noticed that the other seeker, Peter Romanov a descendant of Peter the Great, hadn't seen the snitch yet.  Without another thought, she leaned the handle of her broom all the way down and made a sharp dive straight for the snitch.

Like usual, she stopped noticing everything else that was going on around her.  In Kayla's own, special universe, there was only her, her broom and the Golden Snitch.  When she was only a few feet away from it, she reached out her hand and closed it firmly around the snitch.  She pulled up the handle of her broom sharply with her other hand so that she wouldn't crash into the ground.

She landed quickly, and stared at her hand for a few moments.  Suddenly she was pulled out of her meditation by the sharp call of the whistle ending the game.  Her whole team landed and surrounded Kayla in an enormous group hug.  Jason fought his way towards her and gave her a kiss.

"Congratulations, Kayla," he shouted over the ruckus, "you won us the game!"

"Guys," Kayla screamed after a few minutes, carefully pronouncing each word so that everyone understood what she was saying, "You.  Are.  Suffocating.  Me.  And.  You.  Smell.  So GET OFF OF ME AND LET'S GO SHOWER!!!!!!!!!!!"  They all laughed, but did as she commanded, cause they didn't want to get on her bad side.

As Kayla turned around, she noticed the other team's seeker standing in her way.  "That was a good match," Peter Romanov said.  "I did not really expect to lose since you were a girl and all, but it shows that I have a lot to learn.  Next time I will be more prepared."

Kayla, immediately not liking this blond haired, Russian-accented, stuck-up prig, managed to say a civil "thank you" without being too mean.  _Seriously,_ she thought, _this guy really needs to get an attitude adjustment.  I just hope he doesn't ask me to dance later, because I wouldn't be able to refuse, but I don't want to. _

Kayla walked off and then made for the girls locker room.  She desperately needed a shower before the dance.  Good thing she didn't have to be there when it started.  And Jason promised that he wouldn't go without her.  After all, neither of them wanted the other to get picked up by someone else, so why wouldn't he promise?

45 minutes later, Kayla was showered and fully dressed when she met Jason outside the locker rooms.  Everyone else had already gone to the dance, and Jason had been waiting for a while, but he didn't really mind.  Anything was worth making sure he kept Kayla.

The two of them walked into the school building and made their way to where all of the sound was coming from.  They walked into the humongous noisy room and headed straight for the table where the rest of the team was sitting, along with a few members of the Russian team.  As soon as everyone noticed that they were there, they started to clap for Kayla, including Jason, and so she took a melodramatic bow towards all corners of the room like they do in fancy performances.  Everyone laughed, and she was able to sit down with her friends.

Eventually, Kayla convinced Jason to dance a few songs, but he refused to dance anymore even though all of their other friends were dancing.  Interestingly enough, Keri and Tori were dancing with Russian team members and Jake and James were dancing with some of the Russian cheerleaders.  After a few minutes of trying to coerce him into dancing again, Kayla, sitting on the table, huffed and turned her back on her boyfriend, sitting in a chair next to her.

Soon, a Russian guy came up and asked Kayla to dance.  She was about to accept when Jason stood up and put a possessive hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me," he told the guy, "Kayla is here with me and I don't want her dancing with anyone else."  The other guy was obviously intimidated by Jason and made a hasty retreat.

Kayla suddenly grew very cold.  "Jason!" she practically screamed.  "How dare you sit there and refuse to dance and then not let me dance with anyone else.  I am not your property and I am allowed to dance with whomever I feel like dancing with!"  She stormed off without a backwards glance and went to get a drink.  On her way there, Kayla bumped into someone and nearly fell over.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry miss," said a boy in heavily accented English.  "Did I hurt you?  What can I do to apologize?  Would you like to dance?"

"No, I am not hurt.  You didn't do anything to apologize for.  And, I'd love to," Kayla replied laughing.

_No, Kayla!_ Jason practically screamed in her head.  She had to try not to wince.

_Why the hell not?!_ She thought back.

_He just doesn't feel right.  Kinda greasy.  Like slime._

_Jason, you're gonna have to come up with something better than that.  But I am still going to dance with him.  _Kayla put her hands around her partner's neck as he put his around her waist.  "By the way," she asked him, "what is your name?"

"Mikhail Nicholai, and you are the famous Kayla of course."

As they danced, they talked about the game; mainly Mikhail was just complimenting her.  He said that he had never seen flying so magnificent before.  He asked her how long she had been playing and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw the look on his face when she told him she only learned at the beginning of the year.


	7. The Attack

**Chapter 7**

Jason sat in his chair and glared at the guy Kayla was dancing with.  He didn't even know the creep's name.  He couldn't help but feel betrayed that Kayla was dancing with someone other than him.  So, he refused to dance with any of the multiple girls that asked him to dance.  Instead, he just sat there and watched Kayla's dance partner.  Because, whether she liked it or not, if he made one wrong move on Kayla, Jason would go over there and beat the crap out of him.  Jason couldn't help but feel disgust though when she started to laugh at what the mystery man was saying and doing.  She usually reserved that laugh for him.

It was a good thing that Jason was acting the jealous boyfriend and staring so intently at Kayla and who she was dancing with because he saw the glint of the steel dagger just moments before it was plunged into Kayla's back.

"KAYLA!!!!!!!!!!!"  Jason screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, her assailant slowly backing up to avoid notice.  The entire room grew quiet.  Jason ran over to Kayla's body and picked her up so that her head was resting on his shoulder and her back was face up.  Suddenly, he looked up and saw Mikhail.  "Somebody get him!"  He shouted.  Tori and Keri both used their telekinetic powers to summon in their daggers that they used in their gym/self-defense class and started to take off after Mikhail.

Jason was trying to remember everything he had learned so far in their biology/healing class.  He needed to save Kayla before it was too late.  He quickly pulled the dagger out of her back and placed it on the floor next to him.  He put his hands on her back on either side of the cut, blood seeping in a large flower over Kayla's shirt, and onto Jason's hands.  He concentrated on sending all of his power into her.  He needed to save her.

"What can we do?" said a voice near his shoulder.  Jason looked up.  It was Jake and James, ready to help.

"I don't know enough to save her.  I can only stop a little of the bleeding, but it won't be enough.  Not enough power in the world can save her without knowing what they are doing.  Go call the gifted paramedics.  And tell them to hurry."   His two friends ran off to summon the paramedics and Jason turned his attention back to Kayla.  Although he knew it was futile, he kept trying to heal her body.

"Excuse me," said a voice next to him, "we'll take over from here."  A man gently took Kayla out of Jason's arms and carried her to an ambulance.  

The six musketeers followed the paramedic into the ambulance.  Keri and Tori were still breathing hard, so they must have only recently gotten back from their mad chase of Mikhail.  And, although Jason didn't notice, Keri was limping slightly.

As soon as the ambulance took off, Jason turned on the girls, "Did you get him?  Please tell me you got him."

"Calm down, Jase," Tori said "and we'll tell you what happened.  Well, we chased him all the way to the stadium, where we knew we weren't going to be able to catch him, so I got positioned and threw my first dagger at him, using my telekinesis to make sure it flew straight at him and hit him in the lower leg.  He still managed to run.  He then turned around and threw another one of his daggers which-"

Her furious twin cut her off, "the damn bastard hit me.  The friggin' blade landed in my leg."  She showed them the cut on her leg.  The paramedics all hissed in dismay at the wound and promised to have it looked at when the got to the hospital.

"So, what happened to him?" Jason demanded to know.

"Well, about that time, the gifted police showed up and so we managed to catch him and they took him into custody, after I demanded to have my dagger back.  By the way, Jason, do you have the one that that guy used on Kayla?"

"No, dammit, I knew I had forgotten something, but I was so worried about Kayla that I didn't think about it."

"Don't worry buddy, I've got it," said Jake, holding up the bloody dagger.  As Jason looked closely at it, he saw that it had a strange symbol etched into the handle.  He thought he had seen it before, but he couldn't remember where.  Just then, they reached the hospital and they were all rushed out of the ambulance so that the paramedics could take Kayla to the emergency room, where fully trained, gifted, healers would be able to make sure she was okay.  Unfortunately, all of Kayla's friends were forced to stay in the waiting room, until Kayla's condition stabilized.  The doctors would call them when they could come in.  Only Keri didn't stay, because she was taken to a room herself, so that something could be done about her leg.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

An hour later, a doctor came out of the emergency room and headed right towards the group.  Jason was pacing, Jake and James were playing cards, but still looked worried, and Tori was making sure her sister, who had returned 30 minutes ago, was comfortable.  As he walked over, the 5 friends all turned to look at him.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Gutevarious.  I am pleased to inform you that Miss Kayla Osborne will be okay."  They all heaved a sigh of relief that she would be fine.  "She has also requested that you 5 go in and visit her.  I will be calling all of your parents to let them know what happened so they can come and pick you up since you won't be on the bus returning from Russia.  So if you would all write down you names and numbers on this piece of paper, I will have a nurse show you to Miss Osborne's room."

A young nurse came and took them all to where Kayla obviously was.  She left them all alone, but told them that if there were a problem to shout and somebody would hear them.  Jason turned the knob and slowly opened the door and they all walked in quietly, so as not to disturb Kayla if she was asleep.

Suddenly, a light clicked on.  "Why are y'all being so quiet?  I'm not asleep or anything.  So come on in, pull up a nice uncomfortable looking chair and we can talk.  Or something."

"Kayla!" they all shouted and the girls went and gave her a big hug.  The guys refused to lower themselves to such a "girly" level.  Except Jason, who pulled his chair over next to her bed so he could put his feet up on a table and hold her hand.

"I'm glad you're all right, Kayla," he whispered into her ear as everyone got settled.  _I'm sorry I was such a jerk before, _he added silently so none of their friends could hear, _but I was worried something would happen to you.  Which it did, need I remind you?  I am sorry though but I hope you trust me from now on.  I can sense these evil characters from a mile away.  And if I remember correctly, I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you._

_Apology accepted._

"Um, Kayla," began Keri, "Care to tell us who that guy was and why he wanted to kill you so much."

Kayla and Jason exchanged a quick glance that everyone else noticed.  Jason told her silently: _you might as well tell them, sweet heart._

_Yeah, I guess I should trust them; I just don't want them to worry._  "Okay," she said aloud.  Jason convinced me to trust you guys, too.  But before I tell you, you guys have to swear not to tell anyone.  Not a single soul.  Not you parents, not anyone."

Her friends, startled by her vehemence, all promised.  She then told them the story that Hope had told her.  They were all startled and shocked that they had not known about any of this before.  They all also promised to try to protect her forever.

Just as she finished, the door opened, and in walked Hope and Joy and all of their parents.  "Kayleen Madison, you weren't supposed to go and get yourself stabbed," Hope said, in a mildly scolding tone.  Everyone knew that she was only half joking.  "I assume you told your friends the entire truth," she commented after seeing her daughter's slightly embarrassed face.

"We had a right to know," Jake said defiantly, standing up to defend his friend.  "If we had known, she might not have gotten hurt in the first place."

"Actually," Kayla spoke up, glancing at Jason, and looking sheepish, "I already told Jason.  I just couldn't think up a lie to tell him that he would believe."

"Yeah, well, I forgive you.  I guess others should know, too.  You can't be protected by too many people."  She turned to the other teenagers in the room and continued, "but I expect you to be discreet in your guarding.  No one is to know who she really is.  I shouldn't even be here lest Charles finds out, but I will just modify the memories of the hospital staff so that they only remember Joy."

"Don't let Hope's doom messages bring you kids down," Joy cut into her tirade.  "We also brought food.  We didn't think that you would like hospital food very well and thought you might appreciate our loving home cooked meals."

As the parents handed out the food, Jason took the dagger out of his pocket to show to Hope.  "Hope, this is the dagger the assassin used.  Do you know what this symbol is?  I just can't quite remember."

Both Hope and Kayla looked at it and gasped.  "Th-that is the symbol Charles chose to use.  It is an ancient symbol of his family.  This means that Kayleen was indeed meant to be killed by an assassin of Charles."

"I've seen that symbol before," Kayla whispered, eyes locked on the dagger.  "I have had dreams lately where the only thing I can remember is that symbol.  And sometimes, I draw it.  What does it mean?"

"Kayleen, it means that you are going to succeed your father in power.  But, unlike how he abused it, you will use it wisely and will be loved.  This is your destiny.  Nothing can change that.  But you must live to fulfill it.  From here on out, I will train you 6 in special weapons training that you won't receive at Bridgeton and also in anything else I think you might need to know."

With that, the adults all left, leaving the musketeers to eat in peace.  Her friends would stay with Kayla until she left the hospital in the morning.  Their parents would come back to pick them up then.  The friends all tried to ignore where they were and why they were there and just be kids.  Unfortunately, that would be difficult in the coming days, as they would come to learn.  They devoted so much of their time to training and learning that they learned to cherish the "kid" moments they did have.  Soon, it was well into march, and the Quidditch season was ending.  Bridgeton was currently ranked as the number one team as totally undefeated.  They would play a match on the next Friday night against 2nd seated Germany who lost only 1 game.  If Germany won, they would be tied and have to play another game to decide the winner of the world championships.  But, if the U.S won, it would be over, and Bridgeton would be the undefeated champs.

The Friday before the game, the 6 friends were talking after Quidditch practice because they didn't want to go home yet.

"Hey, Jason," Kayla asked, "have you talked to Kyle lately?"

Jason, startled, replied, "No.  Not for a while.  Why?"

"Oh, I've just not talked to Sam in a while and was thinking of getting together this weekend.  Having a slumber party."

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Tori, Keri, you guys wanna come, too?"

Tori, Keri, Jake, and James, had been watching the couple talk absolutely flabbergasted.  They all exchanged a look that clearly said that they were wondering why Kayla and Jason would let the other spend time with who they thought were exes. "Um…okay…" Tori said.  We'll be at your house at 7-ish.  And, yes, we will remember to keep the use of powers to a minimum."  She and her twin vanished with a pop as they teleported to their house.

"Hey guys," Jason said to his two friends, "if we're not invited to Kayla's, why don't you come over to my house.  I'll invite Kyle and introduce you."

The two guys looked at Kayla, both knowing that girls can be jealous bit-ches where their boyfriends and other girls are involved.  But all Kayla did was compliment Jason on his brilliant idea.  Because of her calm reaction, the two guys accepted the invitation.

"Oh dammit!" Kayla exclaimed.  "I left my bag in my locker.  I'll be right back."

As they watched her receding back, Jake turned to Jason, still confused over the genders of Sam and Kyle, "You really trust Kayla don't you?" he asked enigmatically right before he disappeared, James following a second behind him.

"C'mon, Kayla, let's go.  I'm hungry!"

"I'm coming Jason!"  She ran up not even slightly winded.  "Did you think that they were acting weird when we mentioned Sam and Kyle? * Gasp *  They're not prejudiced against the non-gifted, are they?  I mean-"

Jason cut her off with a kiss.  "Have I told you before how cute you look when you weird out like that?  And, no, they don't have problems with the non-gifted.  I don't know what their problem was.  Bye."  They exchanged one last kiss before teleporting to their respective homes.


	8. Hanging

**Chapter 8**

The next night, Keri and Tori got their first so that they were sure that Sam and Kayla weren't alone together.  They helped Kayla decide what they were going to do once Sam got there.  Finally, the doorbell rang and Kayla screeched, "It's her!  I haven't seen her in months!  OMG!  It's her!"  She ran to open the door, and as soon as she did, the girl ringing the bell, dropped her sleeping bag and gabbed Kayla into a humongous hug.

As they walked into the house so that Kayla could introduce Sam to the others, Tori and Keri got a good look at Sam.  They exchanged an embarrassed look and then started to laugh at their own idiocy.  Sam took one look at the two hysterical girls and then turned to Kayla, "Are they always like this?" she asked her friend.

"Not usually, but lately they have been acting weird.  Guys, are you okay?"  She directed that last bit to the giggling twins.

When they managed to get their laughs under control, Tori answered, "Yeah, yeah, we're fine.  We were just laughing at what idiots we are."  Kayla just gave them the look.  The look that says that they had better 'fess up or she was going to be very, very angry.  That if they didn't tell her she would resort to something drastic to find out.  Under this kind of pressure, Tori continued.  "Well, you see, we thought that Sam was a boy and Kyle was a girl.  I think James and Jake did, too.  We thought it was all weird, it just goes to show how idiotic we can be."  She had to shout the end of her explanation over the peals of laughter coming from Kayla and Sam.

"Tori…and…Keri…Rose…may I…introduce…you to…Samantha…Blake…" gasped Kayla while she was laughing.

"Please call me Sam," she said when they all finished laughing.

Soon they were all ready for a long girl-time.  They were all camped out in front of the T.V. in their pj's with a stack of movies to watch.  On the table they had all sorts of food, from junk to healthy (Tori is diabetic).  Since the rest of them went to school together, they were all interested in hearing about Firebrook from Sam.  It seemed as if she had talked about everything in detail, except Kayla noticed that she had not once mentioned Kyle.  Not once.  She usually would bring him up in passing at least once.  Kayla could tell that something was most definitely wrong and so she decided to ask Sam about it.

"Sam, what about Kyle?" she inserted when her friends stopped to eat something.  Her question nearly made Sam spit out the bite of ice cream she just took.

"Um…I'd rather not talk about Kyle right now."  Of course, this had the opposite effect than what she wanted.  Now everyone wanted to know what was up.

"C'mon, Sam, spill it before I have to force it out of you."  Kayla then turned her evil eye on Sam.  This, of course, had the desired effect.

"Alright, fine, you win!  Well, at the end of last year he promised that since I didn't know anyone who was going to Firebrook that he would introduce me around.  He promised not to leave me alone.  Well, he did this like the first day.  We had 2 classes together and he talked to me a lot.  We sat next to each other and it only felt a little weird that you and Jason weren't there, Kayla.

"But, that was as far as he kept his promise.  He didn't introduce me to his friends and little by little he stopped talking to me until he rarely even says 'hi' and we have 2 classes together!"  Sam had obviously wanted to get this off of her chest for a while.  "I managed to make my own friends no thanks to that lying creep.  So, now, I have a lot of friends and don't need him.  It just kind of hurts that we were such good friends before and now we never speak.  I am so glad that he never knew that I liked him."

Kayla didn't know what to say to this and so she started to tease Keri about Jake.  She obviously liked him.  But he was too dense to notice.  "So, Keri, how's Jake?" she asked innocently.

Keri's blush told everyone what Kayla already knew.  Keri didn't even try to hide it.  "Sigh…I wish he thought of me in a way other than a friend.  Whatever, better a friend than nothing at all…I don't like being teased though.  So on to a new topic.  Tori, do you like anyone?  It's not like you confide in your own twin or anything!"

"Nah.  There is just no one I like in that way."

"C'mon," her twin insisted, "there has got to be** someone**."

"Nope."

"Fine, don't tell.  But there will be someone eventually.  I can sense that much."  Although Sam only thought she was joking, the others knew what Keri really meant without specifying.  Keri had this talent for predicting the future.  Like what they learned in their art/foretelling class.  She was unbelievably good.  She was almost always correct, so Kayla and Tori did not doubt her and her prediction made Tori feel much better about herself, which was why Keri had divulged that bit of her future.  Keri knew that her twin had been depressed lately, what with school, Quidditch, diabetes, and being a teenage girl who wouldn't but that is beside the point.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

While the girls were having their "girl-time," the guys were a couple of blocks away and doing nearly the same things, but it didn't have a name beyond "hanging."  They had already exhausted all topics of conversation except one: girls.

"Kyle," Jason began, "tell me again why you stopped talking with Sam."

"I guess I just got nervous.  Without you and Kayla between us, I suddenly discovered my attraction to her and I was too scared to say anything.  I guess I should at least talk to her in class.  I wish we had what you and Kayla have…"

Either James or Jake muttered, "Don't we all," in anonymous agreement with Kyle.

They all talked about random stuff that guys talk about before finally drifting one by one off to sleep.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The girls had still not fallen asleep after they watched 3 movies.  It must have been all of the food they had eaten.

"I'm bored," Keri whined.  "Is there anything we can do that doesn't involve watching a movie?"

"Well…it depends on how brave you are feeling…" That got the attention of the others.  They all looked up sharply and stared at her, demanding to be told.  "Okay…okay…I'll tell you.  I happen to know for a fact that James, Jake, and Kyle are all spending the night at Jason's house.  I just happen to have a key to his house, and his parents don't care if I use it in the middle of the night.  If they see us they will let us in."  Keri and Tori both knew that she planned on warning Jason's parents telepathically that they were going to be in their house so they wouldn't panic.  "We can easily get to his house from here and do whatever sort of prank you guys want to do.  That is, if you are brave enough."

"How about just using silly string," suggested Keri.  "We wouldn't want his parents angry at us for ruining anything."

"That is a great idea.  And, for some unknown reason, I happen to have silly string downstairs.  Let's go get some and then we can go on over to Jason's house."

The girls all went down to Kayla's basement to get the cans of silly string and then Kayla ran upstairs to tell her parents where they were going and to get a camera.  15 minutes later they left her house and started to run to Jason's house.  When they were a block away, they slowed to a walk so that their heavy breathing wouldn't give them away.

As they made their way to his house, Kayla contacted Jason's mother.  _Mrs. Clayborn, it's Kayla.  The girls and me are coming on over to crash the guys party.  We didn't want you to be alarmed when I let us in._

_That's fine, Kayla dear.  They're asleep right now.  Make sure to get a picture of what they look like when you're done so I can see it._

Kayla quietly slid her key into the lock, and slowly turned it.  When she heard the lock click, she creeped the door open and motioned her black-clad accomplices inside the house.

Once they were all inside, she quietly closed the door, hoping that it wouldn't creak.  The girls had already decided exactly whom they were going to get with the silly string.  Kayla was obviously going to get Jason; and Sam, Kyle; Keri wanted Jake so that left James for Tori.

Since the girls didn't want the guys to wake up before they finished, they worked quietly and efficiently.  It was a good thing that the silly string cans didn't make too much noise when squirting through them.  As soon as they were done, they stood back to admire their handiwork.  The guys looked totally ridiculous.  They weren't only covered in silly string.  Oh, no, the girls had gotten quite carried away.  As a joke, Kayla used a marker to write in big letters on the faces of Jake, James, and Kyle.  She wrote "I love Keri, Tori, and Samantha" respectively on their foreheads.  In retaliation, Tori wrote on Jason's face, "I love Kayla.  She is the sexiest thing on earth."  By the time they were finished, they were trying very hard not to laugh and ruin their careful work.

Kayla quickly started to take pictures.  It was the flashing light that woke Jason up.  As he woke up to the blinding light, he wondered what Kayla and the girls were doing in his house.  Then, he saw the guys.  And, then, he saw himself.  "Kayla!!!!!!!" he screamed jumping up and glaring at the too innocent looking Kayla.  This of course woke up the others and this was when the girls couldn't hold in their laughter anymore.  When Kyle saw Samantha, he looked truly frightened.  Then she launched herself at him with a scream and started to attack him.  (Punching and hitting you dolts.  Get those inappropriate thoughts out of your heads!!!)  The other guys, not afraid in the slightest, started to slowly walk towards the girls, who then looked at each other and ran out of the house, the boys on their tails.

As the girls ran, they were talking telepathically so they wouldn't waste their breath, and their followers wouldn't hear them.

_Where are we going?_ Kayla asked the other two.  _Back to my house?  They would most definitely guess that._

_No,_ Tori replied after a moment of quick thinking.  _How about we head for our special "girl headquarters"?  We've never told them about it, so even when we teleport, they would have no idea of where to find us._

_That is a really good idea, sis,_ Keri added.  _Should we split up to add to the confusion?_

Kayla shook her head, _No, my guess is, that they will assume that we are going to my house and so they will try to teleport their as soon as we disappear._  She spared a quick look back over her shoulder.  _Alright, on the count of three.  One…two…THREE!_  They all teleported to the spot they agreed upon, leaving 3 very confused boys behind them.  Jason, James, and Jake ran to the spot where the girls disappeared and then stopped.

"Where do you think they went?" asked Jake.

"I have no clue," Jason responded and James looked dumbfounded.  "My guess is not Kayla's house.  They wouldn't be that stupid.  They would know that would be the first place we'd look.  We might as well go back to my house and keep Sam from hurting Kyle too much."

"Yeah," seconded Jake, "but keep your mind open.  We might be able to figure out where they are."  The guys slowly walked back to Jason's house only to find when they got there that Kyle and Sam weren't fighting anymore.

Instead, Kyle was lying on the floor, with his hands under his head and Sam was sitting with her back against the couch, her arms around her knees. Kyle was looking at Sam from his position on the floor. All they were doing was talking. They weren't fighting. This surprised the guys. They expected to have to save Kyle from Sam since she was beating him up.   
  
Without even hearing what they were talking about, Jason shooed the others out of his house and closed the door behind them. He felt that Sam and Kyle had unfinished business that they needed to discuss. They definitely did not need 3 extra listeners intruding upon their private time.   
  
Outside, Jake and James gave him a look. "I think we should give them some time to talk. I got the feeling that they had stuff to discuss and they don't need us to do that." They just nodded in response to his statement. "Why don't we go shoot some hoops or something?" At his friends' blank looks, Jason continued, "Oh, right, I forgot that you don't play basketball. I would suggest Quidditch, but if people saw us, we would get in major trouble. I will just explain what to do and then you'll be fine…" they walked down the path as Jason began to explain basketball to his friends.

Inside the house, Kyle and Sam were discussing their current relationship. "So I guess I don't really have a good reason for why I stopped talking to you," Kyle explained. "All I can say is that I am really sorry and that I will try to do better from now on."   
  
"I guess you are right." Sam was silent for a few moments before continuing. "While we are into our whole confession thing maybe I should ask you a question. Do you know how long I liked you for?" Kyle, startled, shook his head, knowing that he wasn't going to like the way this conversation was going to turn out. Not when he finally realized what he felt for Sam. He would just have to live with what she said. If she didn't like him anymore, then it was his fault for letting her go.   
  
"It started when Kayla first realized that she liked Jason. I was so busy trying to get Kayla together with Jason that I couldn't focus on my own feelings. I started spending a lot of time with you because it just so happened that as we spent time trying to convince Kayla and Jason to see the other's feelings that we kept getting thrown together also. I was just starting to see my true feelings for you when you became a jerk and stopped talking to me." Throughout her speech, Kyle started to gain hope that maybe he had a place in her heart, but her next words disabused him of that notion. "Then, I discovered that maybe what I felt for you wasn't really love. I missed being with you as a friend more than I missed you as a crush. I would give anything to have that friendship back."   
  
Kyle felt like kicking himself for letting this wonderful girl slip through his fingers, but he decided that he wouldn't tell her that he liked her. "Well, we can start over. Sam, I am truly, deeply sorry for being a you-know-what and ignoring you. But, I have to say that as a team, we work well together. We managed to bring our two best friends together into a couple that is near inseparable."


	9. Marker Madness

**Chapter 9 **

  
The girls reappeared in a small clearing of a forest. In the middle of the clearing was an enormous tree. It was so large that if the girls had held hands, and hugged the tree, they would have only reached around about a fourth of it. This was the place where the girls always went when they wanted to escape someone. They had discovered that the tree protected them, so they called her Mother Tree.   
  
Mother Tree had large branches and the girls quickly clambered up into the nooks and crannies that they liked to sit in. As soon as they sat down, the tree's bows closed in around them, successfully hiding them from view.   
  
"Don't anyone say anything mind-to-mind. If we do, the guys will surely hear us and then they will find this place," Kayla warned.   
  
"Um…do you think it is wise to leave Sam in the hands of the guys?" asked Keri.

"I think that Sam can take care of herself," Kayla replied.  When the twins just stared at her she continued, "They can't use any powers because it might make us known to the non-gifted world.  And she has taken self-defense classes.  If anyone needs to be saved, it is Kyle.  She was pretty angry with him.  We will go back.  Let's just give the guys a few minutes to wonder where we are."

They just sat in their hiding spots and relaxed.  It was the one place in their whole world that they could relax and not worry about anything.  It gave them the peace they needed in a hectic world.

After about 10 minutes, Tori asked, "You guys think we let the others worry about us for long enough?  I have the feeling that if we don't go back soon, Jason might worry that something has happened to Kayla and will get frantic and we don't want to know where that could lead…" she said suggestively towards her friend.

With a growl, Kayla launched herself at Tori.  But, before they could get into it too much, Mother Tree reached down 2 branches and grabbed each of them and pulled them apart.  They started to laugh.  When they got their laughs under control, Kayla said, "You do have a point though.  We should go back now.  But we need to be prepared.  As soon as we teleport back, they will sense where we are and find us instantaneously.  So we should have a plan."

"How about we just tell them that we can have or secrets?  We are girls after all," suggested Keri.

"I guess.  They might want more information though."

"Well, they don't need it."

"Alright," Kayla sighed.  "On the count of three.  One…two…THREE!"  They teleported to Jason's house and appeared before 3 startled boys.

As soon as the girls appeared in front of the boys, the basketball fell to the ground unnoticed.  "Did you miss us?" Kayla asked sarcastically.

"Where were you guys?" Jason responded.

"That is for us to know, and you to not find out," Kayla laughed.  "Um…guys…what is Sam doing to Kyle?"

"Oh…they are just talking now.  We just wanted to give them time to clear things up between them without us interfering."

"That was very mature of you."  When Jason and the guys blushed, the girls only laughed.  Linking her arm around Jason's and resting her head on his shoulder, Kayla said, "C'mon, guys.  Let's go see what they are up to."

They walked into the house to hear: "We managed to bring our two best friends together into a couple that is near inseparable."  Kayla and Jason could feel the heat rising to their cheeks.

"Oh, so you admit that you had something to do with it?" Jason asked.  Both Sam and Kyle jumped nearly a foot when they realized that the others had heard them.  But, then they looked at their friends' faces and started to laugh.  Soon everyone was laughing, their tension forgotten about.

The girls decided to stay at Jason's house for a short while.  Jason and Kayla sat on the couch.  Jason had his arm around Kayla's shoulders and her head was resting on his chest.  They looked so comfortable with each other and completely natural.  They didn't even think about what they were doing, they just did it and easy as breathing.  Their friends all looked at them and heaved an inaudible sigh.  They all wished that some day, they might have a relationship like the Kayla and Jason did.

When Kayla started to fall asleep, at around 4:30, the girls decided to leave.  They didn't want Kayla's parents to worry.  As they walked out the door, Kayla laughed as she turned around and said, "You might want to wash your faces."  The guys hadn't noticed what was written on their faces.  They would say it was too dark to see it, the girls said that they were imperceptive, but the truth was that Kayla had done something to the marker so that it wouldn't be visible to the other guys until she said something.

The girls closed the door behind them as 4 bewildered boys looked at each other and read what was written.  They started to laugh really hard as they tried, unsuccessfully, to wash it off.  When it didn't come off, they just gave up and figured that Kayla would tell them eventually how to remove it…


	10. Exchange

**Chapter 10**

Before they knew it, it was the day of the big game against Germany.  The team was really nervous, but they knew that they could do it.  They knew that they could win.  Before the left for Germany, there was a big pep-rally.  Although they were the reason for the rally, the team was really bored.  They pretended to be enjoying themselves until they could escape to leave for Germany.

After this game, there would be also be a dance, but it would be different than the others.  It would be more formal and there would be the awarding of the trophy to the winners.  The musketeers had it all worked out how best to protect Kayla.  Thankfully, there had been no problems since that first dance in November.  Kayla would only dance with Jason, James, or Jake.  She knew that she could trust them.  It also meant that Jason had to dance with her.  So although it was restricting, Kayla got her way and was able to dance as much as she wanted with Jason.

As they were getting ready in the locker room, Coach MacMahan was giving them their ritual pep-speech.  "Okay, team.  When we sat through tryouts in the fall, I never dreamed of getting this far.  Whatever happens, it has been a great season, and I am proud of each and every one of you.  But, let's go prove to the world that the U.S.A. is no school to trifle with.  Let's go show the world what we are made of!"  That said, the team started to cheer.  For themselves, for their coach, for their country.

As they stepped onto the field amidst heavy cheering from their fans in the stands, Jason pulled Kayla aside and gave her a quick kiss.  "Let's do this," he whispered before letting her go and taking his position.

At the sound of the whistle, both teams shot into the air and began the game.  Germany's chasers were amazing.  They zoomed through the field and managed to take an early lead on Bridgeton.  Kayla had to wrench her eyes away from the other players and look for the snitch.  The German seeker wasn't even bothering to look for the Snitch himself.  He was just following Kayla, hoping that she would lead him to it.

45 minutes later, things were looking bleak.  Germany was winning 130 to 20 and there was still no sign of the snitch.  Then suddenly, Kayla saw it.  Hovering near the far goal posts.  She glanced at her "shadow" and noticed that he still hadn't seen it.  She decided to count on her speed and agility to get it before he did.  Kayla turned her broom and sped off in the opposite direction from the snitch.  As she expected, her follower did the same thing and over took her.  Before he could notice her change in direction, she turned 180 degrees and sped off towards the snitch.  Dodging around a bludgers, she outstretched her hand and grabbed the snitch.  Bridgeton won 170 to 130.  The U.S.A was the number one team in the world for the first time in 13 years.  As she landed, the team surrounded her, crying and Coach MacMahan came up and sobbed into her shoulder.  She had done it.  She had won it for her team.

Soon, they had all changed into their formal clothes and were ready to go to the dance and accept their trophy. Kayla linked her arm around Jason's and leaned against him in a way that was bound to make people jealous. After all, neither of them were bad looking, in fact both of them were really good looking so their were obviously others who were "in love" with one or the other. Keri was going to the dance with Jake, and Tori was going with James. They were just going with each other so that they could protect Kayla better. And then, the keeper Rachel was going with her boyfriend.   
  
Kayla was wearing this long, silvery, tube top dress and to Jason she looked absolutely gorgeous. But, then, to Jason, she always looked beautiful. As they walked into the room, the entire student population heaved a sigh at how perfect Kayla and Jason looked together.   
  
"It is my pleasure to present to you," projected the voice of an announcer, "the winners of this year's international competition, the undefeated team of Bridgeton, U.S.A.: seeker Kayla Osborne, beaters Tori and Keri Rose, chasers Jason Clayborne, James Curtis, Jacob Rogers, and keeper Rachel Mitchells! Give them a hand! They have worked hard all season and it is my pleasure to give them this trophy!" He walked up to hand it to them and her team pushed Kayla forward to accept it. She raised it above her head as the announcer shouted, "Now let's get this party started!"   
  
As the music blared, the team went to find Coach MacMahan to give him the trophy to put somewhere safe until they could bring it back to Bridgeton. Once it was safely deposited in his hands, the group returned to the dance just in time for a slow song to start. Jason placed his hands around Kayla's waist as she circled his neck with hers. Her head was resting on his chest. (She wasn't that short, he was just pretty tall. She came up to his chin.) Their friends just stared at them and couldn't help but notice how perfect they looked together. They seemed to be 2 halves of a whole, not 2 separate people. They just hoped that nothing would come between their two friends.

Kayla danced happily in Jason's arms for the rest of the night.  Before she knew it, it was past midnight, and the American students needed to pile back on the busses to return to Bridgeton.

That Monday, Principal Rosenthal called an assembly of the freshman, sophomores, and juniors.  Their were only about 100 students a grade, so it was possible for the entire group to meet in the theater to hear whatever it was their esteemed principal wanted to tell them.

 The 6 friends filed into the theater and sat in a row next to each other.  Kayla and Jason of course sat next to each other holding hands.  Once everyone had found seats, Mrs. Rosenthal walked on-stage and gave a silent command for silence.  She then began her speech using her gifts to make her voice seem louder than it really was.

"Let me begin by saying congratulations to the Quidditch team for winning their game on Friday and securing the world championship for us," she paused here to wait for the applause to die down.  "As you all should know, the reason why we have the world tournament is to promote relations between the youth of the gifted world.  However, this has been severely hampered because of Britain's lack of participation and because France and the Eastern Russian schools did not participate this year.  This is because they participated in the Tri-wizard tournament with England.  We were asked, but decided it was too dangerous to risk our students.

"However, this is not the point.  The point is that while you might have grown close with those of other countries, you do not know the British youth as well as could be hoped.  Therefore, I have kept correspondence with the headmaster of the British school, Hogwarts, in order that we might reach a solution to this dilemma.  Recently, we decided upon something that we hope will solve our problem.  Next year, we will be having an exchange program with the British school.  Only the future sophomores, juniors, and seniors will be allowed to go.   Yes, the seniors will be able to send their college applications out.  My good friend Albus Dumbledore has assured me that sending mail between the countries shall not be difficult.

"While anyone is eligible to apply to be considered for this exchange program, only the most qualified will be accepted.  We will also only let 6 students from each grade level participate.  This is not on a first-come/first-serve basis, so take the time to discuss this with your parents and decide if this is what is right for you.  The applications will be in my office and anybody who wants one can stop by and pick one up.  Please have them turned in before spring break, which is in less than two weeks.  Any received later than that won't be accepted.  We will let you know who is going the Friday after break.

"In case you don't want to go anywhere, but you would like to meet English students, we are also looking for people to be host families for the exchange students that we receive.  That, however, is on a first-come/first-serve basis.  So if that is what you are willing to do, sign up as soon as possible since there are only 18 slots.  That is all.  Have a good day," she said as she walked off stage.

The musketeers looked at each other and smiled.  They thought that it would be good for England to experience some musketeer magic.  As soon as they managed to reach the doors to the auditorium, they made their way to Principal Rosenthal's office to pick up the applications.  "Ah, yes," she said when she saw them, "I was expecting you 6 to be first.  I have the feeling that you will do nicely in England.  Good luck on convincing your parents."  It wasn't until they were halfway down the hall that she had practically told them that they would be accepted if they applied.  They couldn't wait to get home and try to convince their parents to let them go.

Luckily their parents said that they could turn in applications.  Lucky for their parents that is.  If they had refused, their children might have disowned them.  The next day, the 6 friends all turned in the applications to the box outside Mrs. Rosenthal's office.  Now, the only thing they were nervous about was actually qualifying for the trip.  They all desperately wanted to go and hoped that they all made it since they thought that it wouldn't be the same without all of them.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't find out for another week.  It was the middle of spring break and the musketeers were doing what they had been doing for the beginning half of it.  They were all at Kayla's house learning to hone their abilities to best protect Kayla from Hope.  They were already more advanced in certain areas than some of the graduating seniors.  And their telepathic abilities with each other were incomparable.  They could communicate with each other no matter what the circumstances.  Nothing could block them from their friends' thoughts, except a shield that they themselves created around their thoughts.

Normally this would be great, but Kayla was getting sick and tired of everyone trying to protect her.  She knew that she might be the only hope to stop her father, but she was going to go insane.  It was during one of these practices that she snapped completely.

Hope was giving them more advanced self-defense training than they would receive at Bridgeton.  They had just told her of their hopes to go to Hogwarts next year on the exchange program.  She bit her lip as if trying to decide whether or not to say something.  She decided to tell them.  "I'm not so sure you should go to England, Kayleen," she cautiously told her daughter.  "It might put you in more danger than you are now.  I have heard rumors of an evil wizard running around there and I just don't think that you should be their now.  It is not the safest of places and we can't risk you accidentally getting hurt."

"That's it!  I've had it!" Kayla screamed.  "I can't stand you telling me how much I need to protect myself!  Thanks to your training I now have 5 fully trained and loyal bodyguards!  But for some reason you don't seem to think that this is enough!  What else have you been training us for if not to defend ourselves?"

"Now look here, missy-"

"Don't you 'now look here, missy' me!  I am sick and tired of you acting like I can't take care of myself!"

"I am just trying to protect you!"

"I know that but if you don't give me room to spread my wings, I can't learn to fly!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you keep trying to protect me, I will never become what you think I already am!  I am outa here!"  With a pop, Kayla disappeared, leaving a room full of shocked people.  None of them had seen her ever blow up like that.  Usually Kayla was the one to keep her cool.  The stress must really of been getting to her.

Hope whipped around to stare at Jason.  Her furious eyes locked on his.  "Tell her to get her ass back here, now," she ordered in a deathly calm voice.  Jason obviously had the strongest connection to Kayla.  That was why Hope asked him to contact her wayward daughter.

After only a few minutes of silence Jason looked up, "She has herself completely shielded off.  She has her thoughts sealed in so tight I can't even figure out where she is," he apologized.

"Dammit!  Don't any of you know where she is?"  She glanced around at all of them.  Jason who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back up against the wall, Jake who was leaning against the doorframe, and James who was lying on the practice mats all shook their heads no.  But, Tori and Keri who were sitting back-to-back on the floor turned and looked at each other guiltily.

Tori spoke up hesitantly, "We might know where she is."

"Tell me," Hope growled.

"Nope, we promised not to bring anyone else there besides us.  She would kill us."

"Then you go get her."  Before she could tell them twice, the twins jumped up and teleported to Mother Tree's clearing.  First, they were hoping that Kayla was there.  2nd, they hoped that she wouldn't kill them.  And 3rd, they hoped that they could persuade her to come back.  Hope wasn't going to like it if she didn't return with them.


	11. More Truths

**Chapter 11**

The twins found Kayla in Mother Tree's clearing.  She was throwing rocks into the air and then using her telekinetic powers to blow them up.  They took one look at her eyes and decided that they never wanted to be the ones to make her made.  Her normally emerald eyes had turned this eerie icy green color and she looked positively livid.  Her long, black hair was unbound and blowing in the wind.  Kayla was standing in front of Mother Tree and throwing rocks away from them so that she didn't accidentally hurt the tree.

Tori and Keri knew that Kayla could sense them, but they decided not to say anything until she had calmed down.  They didn't want to risk her turning that anger on them.  After what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes, Kayla leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes.  The twins took this as a signal that she was calmer now and walked up to her.

"What do you guys want?" she asked, not snapping at all but more as if she was really tired.

"Um…Hope sent us to bring you back…" Keri said carefully, she didn't want Kayla to accidentally kill the messengers.

"Yeah," Tori continued, "We thought it would be best if we came to get you since this is our spot.  We didn't want to tell either the guys or Hope where you were.  She was pretty pissed though."

"Alright," Kayla sighed, pushing herself off of Mother Tree's trunk.  "Let's go, I will have to go back eventually."

The twins looked at each other, amazed that Kayla was so calm so soon after being so furious.  They shrugged and all three girls teleported back to Kayla's basement.

When they reappeared with a pop, the others looked up clearly expecting a good argument between Hope and her daughter.  "What do you think you were doing, young lady?  Leaving without telling anyone where you were going?  Do you realize what could have happened to you?"

Kayla assumed one of those looks that we are all so familiar with.  She assumed the look a teenager uses when their parents are being unreasonable but they don't feel like getting into it with them.  "Tori and Keri knew where I was," she stated the obvious.

"That is besides the point!" Hope looked at Kayla and sighed audibly.  "Whatever, you will do what you want.  I guess there is too much of me in you.  I might as well tell you the real reason I didn't want you going to England…"

"I have never told another soul this before.  Charles was born in England, but he came here when he was a teenager because he didn't get along with his twin brother.  I mean they really didn't get along.  Charles had gone to Hogwarts along with his brother, until they would have been entering their 4th year.  That was when things started to get ugly.  The reason why Charles was sent here and not his brother was that his brother had a long-term relationship with a girl and their parents decided not to split them up because they were very smitten with each other.

"So, Charles came to live with his aunt and uncle here in the states and went to Bridgeton for high school.  When he was done, he went to a non-gifted university where he met a British wizard.  In case you didn't know, a wizard in a British term for the gifted and they access their powers differently but that isn't what I wanted to talk about.  This wizard, however, was not a very nice person.  He was in the habit of going around England and killing anyone who he didn't like.  Charles knew this, and didn't care.  And, to my dismay, the two stayed in touch even when Charles transferred schools so that I could live with him.

"After I left him, I kept a close watch on both gifted and non-gifted news to see if he was doing anything.  Nothing happened until the year after you were born.  Charles' brother's family was attacked.  The only one to survive the attack was Charles' one year-old nephew.  I can only assume that Charles' had sensed more of the future.  He must have sensed that the one person to stand up to him would be closely related by blood.  Since he didn't know that I was pregnant, he must have assumed that the person who was going to stop him would be his nephew so he asked his friend to kill him while he was off killing so many other people.

"Unfortunately, Charles' nephew defeated his friend.  But, I have this feeling that he isn't really gone and will come back to kill your cousin just like Charles' wanted.  I don't want either of them to find out who you really are."

Jason took it upon himself to voice the question that they all wanted to ask, "So what are all of these people's names.  You conveniently didn't mention them.  But if we are to keep them from figuring out who Kayla is, we first need to know who **_they_** are."

"Yeah, I guess you are right," Hope sighed. "Anyways, you would run into your cousin at Hogwarts. He was sent to stay with his mother's sister since everyone knew how well his father and Charles got along. Charles' brother's name is James. They are both potters. James' wife was lily Evans and incidentally, she was the one he was seeing when Charles came to the United States. Your cousin's name is Harry. And the man who killed his parents calls himself Lord Voldemort. And since harry somehow seems to run into him every year, I didn't want you to be put into that kind of danger. Since you so adamantly stated that you were going to England, don't you think we should practice a lot before you leave since you will be gone for a year…"   
  
They all groaned but got up and continued where they had left off when Kayla blew up at her mother.   
  
Before they knew it, spring break was over and it was time for it to be anounced who was to be going on the trip. They were all called to the auditorium again and when Mrs. Rosenthal stepped on stage, an excited hush fell over the students.   
  
"It was difficult to decide who was going to go to England next year and I would like to thank all of you who turned in applications. Without any further ado I would like to announce who is going to England on our exchange program. When your name is called, please come up on stage."

"It was difficult to decide who was going to go to England next year and I would like to thank all of you who turned in applications. Without any further ado I would like to announce who is going to England on our exchange program. When your name is called, please come up on stage."   
  
The musketeers all looked at each other hopefully. They really, really wanted to go on this trip. It would be the chance of a lifetime.   
  
"I will be calling you up according to the grade you are in currently," Principal Rosenthal continued. "Juniors: Rachel Mitchells, Tani Flyn, Josh Gold, Jeff Tacy, Rebecca Yuland, and James Johnson!" Wild clapping sounded by the juniors' friends as the 6 selected ran up to the stage. "Sophomores: Nina Rosen, Sara Jacobson, Mark Rogers, Michael Sampson, George Wilson, and Julia Alberts." The musketeers turned to each other and the girls all grabbed each other's hands and closed their eyes. "And finally, the freshmen. With these students something interesting happened. A group of friends all turned in their applications together and I am pleased to say that we didn't have to separate them. This is the only year that all six people going are good friends. So, I am pleased to announce that going to England from the freshman class, are Kayla Osborne, Jason Clayborne, Tori and Keri Rose, James Curtis, and Jacob Rogers!" The musketeers all looked at each other and then as one stood up and ran onto the stage amidst the thunderous applause. It turned out that everyone (even other freshmen that applied) had secretly hoped that the 6 musketeers would make the qualifications to go on the trip.

Once Mrs. Rosenthal dismissed the other students, she talked to the 18 selected exchange students. "As you know, British schooling is different than American, and not only the gifted curriculum. They have 7 years of study starting at the age of 11 in the same school. Freshmen will be going into the 5th year, sophomores will be going into 6th, and juniors will be going into 7th.   
  
"The school is divided into 4 houses that you live with for the entire year. You will gain and lose points for your houses. You, too, will be sorted into houses as soon as you get there. They also use their powers differently. They call themselves witches and wizards and seem to channel their magic through a piece of wood with a magical core that they call a wand. They also seem to need some kind of incantation to make their spells work. You will learn how to use this kind of magic so that you will know more than one way to use your powers if you ever need to.   
  
"Now, I suggest that you get back to class. You will be receiving information packets in the mail about Hogwarts. I suggest that you read them before you leave so that you know what to expect. You will not be starting term here, but rather, you will be spending the entire summer in London, so that you will be more accustomed to their style of magic. The information about your flight will come with your packets. I hope you enjoy yourselves."


	12. Welcoming Commitee

**Chapter 12 **

  
The next week, they all got the packets in the mail as promised. As soon as she got it, Kayla ran over to Jason's house so that they could read it together. She knew that their other friends would teleport there, too.   
  
When he opened the door, Jason wasn't at all surprised to see Kayla waiting on his doorstep. After all, the other musketeers had already shown up and they were just waiting on Kayla to open and read their information packets.   
  
They would be leaving for London the day after their last final exam. All 18 kids would be flying on an airplane together along with one chaperone that would stay with them until the start of term. And that adult was…   
  
"My mother!" Kayla shrieked. Of course, she meant Hope although no one but her closest friends knew that she was her mother. So the principle must have other reasons for wanting Hope with them. Kayla was so shocked that she didn't even realize that she had called Hope her mother for the first time ever. Her friends just stared at her but didn't say anything about it.   
  
"Um…"Jason hesitated, "She probably just wanted to make sure y-we are okay before we get to school."   
  
"Yeah…I guess you're right…let's just see what else is in here."   
  
"Okay…um…once we get there we go to a place called Diagon Alley where we can get all the stuff we need and stay until term starts. We have to catch the Hogwart's Express on September the 1st. Oh, and Dumbledore is sending us a guide to see that we make it to the school okay. But is doesn't say who. That is interesting…"   
  
"Probably just because he hasn't decided who to send yet," James said logically.   
  
"Yeah, sure…" Jason agreed, still unsure.

Soon, everyone had left because they all needed to go home and study for their quickly approaching finals.  Before they knew it, it was May 10, and they were getting ready to leave for the airport where they would meet up with the other 12 students going.  They were flying out of the airport near Kayla and Jason so they were being driven by Hope and would join their friends there.

They were all instructed to wear comfortable clothes since it would be a long flight.  Kayla was wearing her favorite pair of jeans with a leather belt, a purple t-shirt, and a large, soft, gray sweatshirt over it all.  She was wearing a pair of sketcher's platform flip-flops that made her 4 inches taller.  She was still shorter than Jason though.  As they got out of the car, she couldn't help but notice how good he looked in his faded blue jeans, t-shirt with the GAP logo on it, and a flannel shirt over it.  He walked over to her and kissed her quickly before putting one arm around her waist.  With their free hands, they grabbed their rolling suitcases and walked after Hope.

As they stood on-line to check their luggage, they met up with the other 16 students going on the trip.  While they waited for the rest to finish, 2 blond haired girls walked up to them and started to talk to Jason, completely ignoring Kayla.  They were both wearing very short skirts and extremely low cut, tight shirts.  "Hi," one said.  "I'm Chrissie, and this is Melissa."

Jason didn't even blink.  It was as if he didn't even notice them.  "You must be mistaking me for someone else.  I don't know you, and I don't want to know you, so please go away."  He turned around, pulling Kayla closer, and walked off in the other direction.  The two blonds just stared at him as if they didn't realize that they had been rejected, which they probably didn't.  After a few moments, they turned and huffed off.

After what seemed like forever, everyone's suitcases had been checked, and they were ready to go to their gate and wait for their flight to board.  As they sat in the waiting area, the 6 musketeers sat on the floor and got out a deck of cards and began to play a variation of euchre they had created that 6 of them could play.  Kayla leaned her head on Jason's shoulder as they played the game.

Shortly their flight was called, and they got up to board.  As it turned out, their seats were all near each other so they could talk, but most of them didn't feel like it.  Kayla buried her nose in a book, the twins slept, and the guys all watched the in-flight movie.  Two books, three movies, and many hours later, the pilots came on the speaker to announce that they would be landing soon.  The group of exchange students all became very excited and couldn't wait until they got into London.  Hope had promised that once they dropped their stuff off at Diagon Alley, she would take them shopping, and surprisingly, even the guys wanted to go.

They made it through customs and baggage claim without any mishaps and were standing around waiting for Hope while she tried to find their guide.  As the students stood there, a man walked up to them and asked, "By chance are you the group of exchange students from Bridgeton?"

Kayla looked into his eyes and replied, "Yep that's us.  Our chaperone walked off over there but should be back soon."  At the same time she sent a silent message to her mother, _I think our guide is here.  You might want to come back._

"Oh, right.  Well, I am to be your guide until you catch the train to Hogwarts.  Well, actually, I have a partner who will help, but he can't be here right now because of a reason that I don't want to explain in public since some people might overhear and panic."

Just then Hope walked up and smiled at the man.  "Why, hello there.  My name is Hope Forest.  I am the chaperone for the students and who might you be?"  She asked it as nonchalantly as possible, but Kayla and her friends knew that she was trying to see if he was a threat.

"Um…my name is Remus Lupin.  We should probably get into the magical cars Dumbledore provided before I explain any further."  They all did as they were instructed.  There were 3 stretch limousines waiting for them outside.  Each grade level piled into a different limo, Remus and Hope in the one with the 6 musketeers.

"I guess I should explain a little bit while we are in the cars since no one can overhear us in here.  First of all, you should know that I am a werewolf.  I won't hurt any of you and I hope you aren't afraid of me.  Dumbledore sent me because he knew he could trust me.  He also knew he could trust my partner.  My friend's name is Sirius Black.  He was charged with being a supporter of Voldemort and of murdering his best friend and his best friend's wife.  However, he is completely innocent.  He was sent to wizard prison but he managed to escape since he has the ability to turn into a large black dog.  He couldn't come, because someone would have recognized him as a man and he would have been captured and dogs aren't allowed in airports.  Please believe me when I say that he is innocent."

He looked so pathetic that Kayla couldn't help but put her hand on his arm and tell him that everything would be okay.  "That's okay, Remus.  We believe you."

"Dumbledore mentioned that you had a secret, too.  One that not everyone was to know.  But, he said that you should tell me that way I can help guard it."

The teenagers all looked at Hope, obviously expecting her to tell the story.  She looked straight into Remus' eyes and started to speak quietly.  "Remus," she began, "were the names of the people that Sirius was charged with murdering Lily and James Potter?"  At his shocked nod of affirmation, she continued, "Did you know James' brother at all?"

"How did you know he had a brother?"

"When Charles was sent to America he went to Bridgeton, a year ahead of me.  We soon started going out and were deeply in love with each other.  But, to make a long story short, he turned bad, but after I was already pregnant with his child.  I ran off without telling him because he had a vision that his blood would be his downfall.  For this reason, he had his close friend Voldemort try to kill his nephew Harry.  He didn't know about my daughter.  My daughter who happens to be right in front of you."  She nodded towards Kayla.  "She is his cousin and in as much danger as he if her father finds out about her.  She is the one who will defeat her father.  Can you not tell how much she looks like her father and uncle?"

Remus made a silent 'Oh' with his mouth as the limos pulled up in front of a nondescript building.  On a sign out front it said "Leaky Cauldron."  Apparently, this was the inn where they were going to be staying.  "All right everyone," Remus shouted over the chatter of 18 students and 1 adult.  "3 people per room, no, I repeat no, mixed gender rooms.  I expect you all to sort yourselves out so I don't have to do it."

As they walked into the empty tavern (it was about 10 o'clock in the morning), a large black dog padded over to them and seemed very interested in the way Kayla smelled (her leg you dingbats!).  They all marched up to their rooms, dragging their luggage behind them.  Hope followed the 3 'triplets' into their room, and the dog followed her.

Once the door closed, the dog transformed into a man and before the girls could get over the shock, he stalked up to Kayla and pointed a finger in her face and growled, "Okay, who are you, and why do you smell like Harry?"

Remus quietly opened the door and saw what Sirius was doing.  "If you would calm down a moment, they would probably explain it to you."  Sirius didn't move his gaze from Kayla's.

Her eye's started to change to their icy green color and she snapped, "I'm his cousin."

"That is not possible," Sirius spat.   
  
Before either Hope or Remus could intervene, Kayla responded, "Are you sure? How well did you know Charles Potter?"   
  
Sirius took a step back and sneered. "Do you really expect me to believe that you are the daughter of Harry's long lost uncle? So tell me the truth. Who are you and why do you smell like my godson? I won't let you leave and join the rest at Hogwarts until you answer my question."   
  
This time, Hope reacted faster than her furious daughter did. "Look," she said hotly, "I don't know you, and I don't know who you think you are. But, she is who she says she is. If you don't believe that, fine. But you won't be able to stop her from going." She added silently to Kayla, _Love, maybe we ought to show him that he can't stop you. Teleport into the guys' room. They won't mind._

One of the advantages of telepathy was that it could be used at the same time as normal speech.  So, Kayla timed her disappearance for the exact moment Hope finished her scold that way it had more of an impact.  Her only regret as she appeared in the guys' room was that she wasn't there to see Sirius' face when she disappeared.  She knew that Hope was trying to prove that Sirius couldn't hold her anywhere against her will.

Jason, Jake, and James didn't even blink when she appeared in their room.  It wasn't like she hadn't seen them in pj's before.  She sat on Jason's bed and started to imagine what was going on in her room.  Then she started to crack up.  She lied down on her back so that her legs were dangling over the edge of the bed and her head was resting on Jason's stomach.

James and Jake, who were lying face down on the bed and leaning over the edge playing cards looked up and her quizzically.  She quickly explained what had happened and soon they were all laughing.  Since there were four of them, they began a quick game of euchre to pass the time until Hope called Kayla back.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Back in the girls' room, Sirius was staring in disbelief at the spot where Kayla teleported from.  Actually, Remus was looking shocked as well.  Sirius whipped around and glared at Hope.  "How did she do that?" he demanded to know.  "In the states isn't it illegal to apperate?  And isn't she not allowed to do magic?"

"No, there are no rules like that.  And you had better remember it.  Now, I will tell you how she is related to Harry if you would just calm down and listen before you jump to conclusions."  Then, for the 2nd time that day, Hope explained Kayla's connection to Harry.

Sirius listened to Hope's story with growing shock.  However, he didn't think it was possible for someone to make up a story that detailed and thorough.  As his suspicion dropped, he started to examine the three women left in the room.  Keri and Tori were quite obviously twins.  They didn't impress him much.  It was Hope who interested him more.  For some reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He wasn't sure yet, but he would figure it out.

"So, I decided to come and keep them all out of trouble until September," Hope concluded.

"Well, if they all can do that, they will be pretty unbeatable here.  I wouldn't advise showing your powers to the Hogwarts students, though.  They might get jealous.  Besides the fact that you can't apperate onto Hogwarts grounds."

"Apperate?  What is that?" Tori asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"Kayla just apperated out of here," Sirius explained as if it were obvious.

"No she didn't.  She teleported," Tori teleported.

"Is there really a difference?" Sirius wanted to know.

"Yes," Hope responded promptly.  "While they are similar, they aren't the same thing.  Teleporting is much safer, for instance.  No chance of getting splinched.  It is a form of telekinesis where you move your own body.  Charles explained that apperating was like using a spell to transport yourself somewhere else.  In teleportation, you imagine yourself as disconnected from your body…and I can't really go into the details.  You would have to ask an expert in order to determine the difference.  I just know that they are different."

Sirius turned to the twins and suggested, "Why don't you go get Kayla?"

The girls just looked at each other, then at Hope, and then back.  Large grins spread on their faces.  They knew that Sirius expected them to leave, but it was their room, after all.  And, besides, they wanted to show off their powers too.  In unison they sent a message to Kayla, _Hey, Kayla, you can come back now.  Teleport in again.  You can see his face this time that way._ the broke the connection, but not after they heard her mental laughter.

Sirius was glaring at the twins, who he thought were lazy, when Kayla appeared with a pop right in front of him.  She looked at him and started to crack up.  The twins saw his expression and also started to laugh.  When Hope saw his look of bafflement, she, too, began to laugh.  Soon, the four of them were giggling uncontrollably on the bed.

When they got their laughter under control, Sirius wanted to know how Kayla knew to come back when she did.  "It is really quite simple," Kayla answered.  "We all have a really strong telepathy gift with each other.  They just told me mind-to-mind that I should come back."

Sirius made a silent 'oh' with his mouth and looked around for Remus to support him.  Only, Remus had slipped unobtrusively out of the room and left to go and check on all of the other rooms to make sure they were settled in.  After all, although Sirius was his partner, Remus was by far and above way more responsible.  Let Sirius argue with the girls.  He would go and check on people and he would stay in one piece.


	13. Train Ride

**Chapter 13**

Soon, Remus returned to the 3 girl musketeers' room. The adults started to talk about what they were going to do with the 18 children since they only in effect had 2 adult supervisors since Sirius couldn't be seen as anything but a dog. They wanted to divide into groups so that they could give the students a tour of Diagon alley. The problem was that Hope didn't know her way any better than the American students.   
  
Suddenly, Kayla had a brilliant idea. "Mother," she said. Lately she had gotten into the habit of calling Hope 'mother.' "Why don't you teach Sirius to talk telepathically? That way he can act as guide and still be in his dog form."   
  
"That is a great idea, Kayleen," Hope exclaimed. "You are a genius!"   
  
Soon they had a plan. The next day, Remus would take all 18 kids into muggle London and take them shopping. This would probably take a couple of hours, which should be enough time for Hope to teach Sirius what he would need to know.

The next day, everyone, especially the 9 girls, were excited to discover that they would be spending the day in London. They ate their breakfast as quickly as possible, and many of the girls went upstairs to change into more flattering clothes. Hope felt vaguely sorry for Remus. He had no idea how much teenage American girls liked to shop. She hoped that she would see him alive again.

4 hours, 20 miles, and over 50 stores later, Remus was certainly regretting volunteering to take the students shopping. The 9 girls had been happily trying on clothes in every store and they showed no sign on planning to stop soon. For the most part, the guys were getting tired. They had been content to shop for about an hour, and then they began to get bored. He sure hoped that bored American teenage males didn't do things that he would have to cover up for. Remus didn't know that American males were used to being dragged shopping by their female counter-parts.   
  
The only boys not thoroughly bored to tears were the musketeer guys. Kayla, Tori, and Keri were trying on clothes and asking their opinions. And then, the girls would force them into trying on clothes. But, they did it good-naturedly. They got a kick out of trying to wear the goofiest clothes possible. It was kinda funny.   
  
All of the other guys just stood and leaned up against the wall. Fortunately, they had been through this before so they knew how to stay out of trouble. They didn't have magical candy or wands that British wizards might have had. Instead, they had a packet of normal cards that they pulled out and started to play a game.

"Are we done yet?" whined Jake in the general direction of the girls.   
  
"Yeah, you can go hang out with the other guys while we pay for this stuff," Kayla shouted back at them. Jason, James, and Jake looked at each other and grinned broadly. They went and joined in on the card game. The girls changed into their clothes and grabbed the items they were going to buy and went to stand on line.   
  
As they were waiting, three, gorgeous British teenage boys walked up to the girls. "Can we help you?" one asked Kayla.   
  
Kayla quickly looked at her boyfriend to make sure he hadn't seen. Jason tended to be over-protective. "Um…no. That is okay. We can manage just fine by ourselves," Kayla told the boy.   
  
He stepped towards her as his cronies stepped in also, so that they surrounded the three girls. "Are you sure? Cause there is something that you can help me with." He smiled menacingly in a way that should have scared the girls. But they had a way out. They weren't trapped.   
  
_Jason, _Kayla began, _three guys are over here trying to intimidate us into stuff. D'you think you can come and act really over-protective and angry. It would help if Jake and James would pretend to be the twins' boyfriends. _  
  
Jason relayed her message to the others and they quickly stood up and made their way to the 'trapped' girls. Jason tapped the obvious leader of the small gang and said as quietly and menacingly as possible, "What exactly do you think you are doing to our girlfriends?" The boy turned around and blanched when he saw. Jason really looked deadly and James and Jake who looked equally lethal flanked him.   
  
"Um…nothing man. Nothing. We were just leaving," he said as he started to back away. As soon as he was out of sight, the 6 musketeers collapsed laughing so hard. They paid quickly and left to wait for the other girls. Once they had all finished in that store, Remus declared that he hoped that Hope had had enough time to teach Sirius since he was tired and planned on taking them all back to the Leaky Cauldron.

The next day, they got the grand tour of Diagon alley. As promised, they divided into two groups. The musketeers were joined by the three 3 seniors. As they walked past the Quality Quidditch, all 7 of the Bridgeton Quidditch team members ran to the window and stared gaga eyed at all the stuff in the store.   
  
Hope looked at them and smiled. I hear it from a reliable source that there a few openings on the house teams this year. So, even though you aren't playing for Bridgeton, you still might be able to play. You can bring your own broomsticks so you can buy some here." Their eyes lit up as she finished and they ran inside. While Hogwarts would pay everything they needed for school for if they wanted to bring anything extra, they would have to buy it for themselves.   
  
30 minutes later, they came out of the store laden down with a new broomstick each depending on their personalities and positions. Rachel and Kayla had each bought Firebolts since they could use the extra speed. The boys all came out with Nimbus 2002. These were new models in the Nimbus series that had added balance. This was especially helpful for chasers since they often removed both their hands from the handle so catch or throw the quaffle. And the twins had bought a broom designed especially for beaters that had extra stopping capabilities so that they could stop to hit the bludger. They each bought Celsius 9's.

Since they had already been to Gringotts (well, obviously), their next stop was Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. They took turns stepping up onto the platforms to be fitted for school robes. Then, they had to pick out some formal robes. Kayla bought some that were black velvet with emerald green trim that matched her eyes. The twins bought matching ones of lilac and black silk. The boys all bought ones of varying shades of blue. 

After they all had their robes, they went to Ollivander's to buy their wands. While they wouldn't need them once back at Bridgeton, they would keep them so that they could use both types of magic that they would know. An hour later, they all exited the shop carrying a long box each. They were all a little bit creeped out by Mr. Ollivander and were thankful to be out of his store. (In case you wanted to know, here is a list of the wands that chose them:   
Tori - Unicorn hair, mahogany, 8 inches   
James - Phoenix feather, redwood 9 3/4 inches   
Kayla - Dragon heartstring, ash, 7 inches   
Jake - Phoenix feather, maple 7 1/2 inches   
Jason - Dragon heartstring, cedar, 13 inches   
Keri - Unicorn hair, willow, 10 inches)   
  
The rest of their summer went by pretty uneventfully. Their chaperones kept the American students away from the British wizards for the most part, so they were walking blindly into the lions den when it came time for them to board the Hogwarts express.   
  
On the morning of September the first, all 18 students and 3 adults were running around trying to find everyone's last minute lost precious items. However, they managed to make it to King's cross by boarding time. Remus and Hope gave them some last minute precautionary warnings before ushering them onto the train.   
  
On the train were 3 compartments reserved for the exchange students, so they divided by grade and claimed the compartments. The 6 musketeers leaned out the window and waved to Remus, Hope, and the dog that was Sirius. They could just barely hear Hope shout, "Don't forget to write!" as they turned back around and closed the window.   
  
James pulled out one of the decks of cards that were always carried by the guys and he started to deal the cards for a game. Kayla, for once, didn't feel like playing though. Instead she pulled a book out from inside her bag and leaned up against Jason's shoulder and started to read. Tori pulled out one of her daggers and started to sharpen it. The twins always carried the daggers and would sharpen them when they were bored.

Soon, the train started to move. After about 10 minutes, the compartment door opened and in walked a shock beyond all shocks. In walked 2 boys and a girl. The redheaded boy was saying to the others, "Can you two believe that Fred and George bought me new dress robes? They said that they couldn't have their little brother embarrassing them by wearing ancient robes. They needed to have an agent still at Hogwarts next year and so they needed to have him look presentable." They all laughed, but stopped when they saw that the compartment was occupied.   
  
"The raven-haired teenager asked the 6 musketeers, "Do you mind if we join this compartment. All of the others have people in them. If you would rather, though, we could go join someone else's."   
  
The girls continued, "Yeah, Ginny wouldn't mind."   
  
The redhead had a glint in his eyes and picked up, "Especially if Harry was with us." He started to laugh as his friend blushed.   
  
"Sod off, you."   
  
The six friends glanced at each other and then jumped to their feet. Remus, Sirius, and Hope had told them that they should tell Harry who Kayla was and that the only way they could would be if they told his two friends also. Would it really be this easy to find her cousin?   
  
She grabbed Jason's hand as she stepped in front of Harry. The three British students stared at her in disbelief. She looked exactly like Harry, except a girl. They could have passed as twins. "Who are you, and why do you look like me?" Harry asked her in shock.   
  
Tori, Keri, and Kayla looked at each other and started to laugh. The way he worded his question was so completely ironic. When they received 6 blank stares, Kayla explained the humor. "When we first got to the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius asked the same thing, except instead of looks, he wanted to know why I smelled like you."   
  
"Sirius, as in, Sirius Black?" Harry asked.   
  
"Yep, he said that you would believe us when we told you our story."   
  
"And, you believe **_his _**story?"   
  
"That he is not really a criminal? Yep. He was one of our guides and chaperones. We know his secret that he told us you also know. 2 main reasons why I believe him. One, he truly cared about you and demanded to know who I was before he would leave me alone. And the other is that Remus trusted him."   
  
"You've seen Professor Lupin and Sirius?" Harry was overwhelmed with disbelief.

"Yep," Kayla affirmed.   
  
"Okay, I will listen. Hermione, Ron, maybe you two should wait outside."   
  
"But, Harry, what if it is one of you-know-who's plots to get you." Harry just rolled his eyes at Hermione's complaint.   
  
"I knew you would. Keri, Tori, would you two make sure that no one disturbs us." They nodded and then escorted Ron and Hermione outside the compartment and sat down in the doorway. They took out their daggers and began sharpening them. Jake and James followed them out, so that Harry's friends wouldn't think that Harry was going to be mugged. They took out one of their many decks of cards and began to play.   
  
"No one will get by us, boss," Tori mock saluted before she closed the door. Harry's two friends eyed their daggers warily. They laughed at their expressions but didn't say anything.   
  
Kayla launched into the entire story. Starting with what Hope had originally told her, and then she moved into what she had only recently learned about her heritage: that she was Harry's cousin. "I know this sounds really unbelievable. I didn't believe it myself at first. But my mother isn't one to joke around. And even Remus and Sirius agree that it might be possible. Please believe me. I would not lie to you," she pleaded, staring into his eyes and willing him to believe her.   
  
After a few minutes of heart-wrenching silence, Harry finally nodded. "Okay, I believe you. Why would you make something like this up? You might have to work harder to convince Ron and Hermione, though. They both tend to be very suspicious and think that I will surly die if they weren't there to make sure I didn't do anything drastic." He sighed heavily before continuing. "Well, we might as well call them back in and do our best to convince them."   
  
Thirty minutes later, they had managed to partially convinced Ron and Hermione and nothing they said would convince them any further. Their conversation had turned to more neutral conversation. Mainly they were discussing the exchange trip. The British students, excepting Hermione, hadn't heard about it before.   
  
"So, Harry, who do you think went to the states for the year?" Ron asked.   
  
"Honestly, Ron, didn't you read the letter that came with the prefect's badge. Or did you just put on the shiny badge and ignore all of the responsibilities?" Amazingly, all three of them were made prefects this year, despite Harry and Ron's abysmal potion marks. "There was a list of the students selected to go. I wanted to, but Dumbledore thought it would be best if I stayed to keep you boys in line. From our year I think Parvati and Padma Patil went, Justin Finch-Fletchly, Hannah Abbott, Pansy Parkinson, and Mandy Brocklehurst. Um…you wouldn't know any of the others except Alicia Spinnet, and also Cho Chang."   
  
At first Harry was upset, but then he decided that it would be for the best. Cho would be somewhere that didn't constantly remind her of Cedric. And although he might want to be with her, why would she want to be near him. Besides, lately, he had been having some interesting thoughts about Ron's sister, Ginny. Now, he would have time to follow up on them without worrying about his feelings for Cho getting in the way.

Suddenly, the compartment door opened and in walked two redheaded 17 year-olds. They stopped suddenly when they found themselves at dagger point. Harry started to laugh and told Keri and Tori, "It's okay, they aren't going to do anything wrong. They are Ron's brothers." Tori and Keri slowly lowered their weapons and put them back in their sheaths under their shirtsleeves.   
  
The Weasley twins eyed the girls warily as the began to speak, "Um…Harry, someone told us you were in here. We have a slight-" George broke off as he looked around the room. "Bloody Hell, Harry! Why didn't you tell us you had a twin sister living in America?"   
  
Kayla started to laugh and then stood up. "Hi," she said not betraying her reservations. She quickly made a decision about telling them the truth. "My name is Kayla. It is a long story, but the short of it is that I am his cousin." She quickly introduced her friends and she couldn't help but notice them stare at the Rose twins.   
  
Ron groaned, "Oh, no. 2 sets of identical twins in one room. This could get confusing."   
  
"What were you saying before you noticed Kayla?" Harry interrupted before a full-fledged Weasley fight broke out.   
  
"Oh, right. Well, with Oliver out of school and Alicia off in America, we have 2 slots open on our team."   
  
All 6 musketeers' snapped to attention when he said this. Jason was the one to get it together enough to ask the question they all wanted answered, though, "Quidditch, right?" When they nodded, he continued, "What positions?"   
  
Fred and George looked at each other. "Well, keeper and chaser."

  
The twins sighed audibly. "Dammit, that means we can't play," Keri moaned. "And we just bought those new brooms!"   
  
The Gryffindor looked at each other. "Well, it wasn't definite that you would be sorted into Gryffindor," Hermione hazarded to say.   
  
"Well, if we **_did, _**we couldn't be on the team," Tori corrected.   
  
"Why do you even want to be on the team?" George wanted to know. "You don't really look like the athletic types."   
  
Ron leaned over and whispered to Hermione, "This to the twins sharpening their daggers." Hermione stifled a giggle as Tori glared at George.   
  
"Well, excuse me," she said, drawing it out to 5 syllables. "But, for your information, I am probably in better shape than you. Besides," she added loftily, "you are looking at the international high school Quidditch champs. Well, actually, us plus Rachel Mitchells, our keeper. We left our school knowing that we wouldn't be there to defend our position this year. We had hoped to play here at least, but it seems that only one of the guys, and Rachel or possibly Kayla could even have a shot of being on the team."   
  
Harry, fully comfortable talking about Quidditch jumped right in on the conversation, "So what positions do you all play?"   
  
"Well, James, Jake, and Jason play chaser," Keri began, "Rachel is keeper, we are beaters, and Kayla, here, is our seeker."   
  
"Really, Harry is, too. It must run in the family," George laughed.   
  
"Yeah, just like being beaters is a twin-thing. Right guys?" Ron teased.   
  
This time, Kayla intervened before the fight broke out, "How about we continue this discussion when we have discovered which houses we are in? We might be able to help you, but we wouldn't want to divulge secrets that could help our team if we aren't in Gryffindor."

At this point, the door slid open, again, and in walked three young men. The skinny blond obviously the leader. Yet again, the "guests" found themselves at dagger-point. "Dumbledore hire bodyguards to protect the precious boy-who-lived, Potter?" he sneered.   
  
Kayla jumped up and glared at the boy, "I don't know who you are, and I don't know what you want. But, frankly, I don't care. You come barging in here and start insulting my friends."   
  
"Maybe you should choose better friends-"   
  
"I'm not done yet," she growled. "You don't know anything about me and my friends, and you don't know what kind of powers we have. Now, I suggest you leave before they lose their tempers."   
  
"I bet they don't even know how to use them," he stated boldly.   
  
"Oh, I assure you they are fully capable of using them. I, on the other hand, prefer the sword." As she said this, Kayla summoned in her sword. It had been a gift from Hope for her birthday. The hilt was made of silver and had rubies encrusted in it. The blade itself was blue-tinted, and very sharp.   
  
Tori and Keri shifted slightly so that they were pointing their daggers towards this blond snob's friends so that Kayla could direct her attention towards the blond brat. "Now leave," Kayla snarled, her pale green eyes glinting. "Leave, and don't come back."   
  
The three boys turned tail and fled, having never been "attacked" like that. Let alone by a girl. Let alone by a beautiful girl.

The silence that followed their departure could have been cut with a knife.  Finally, Jason broke it.  "Who were they?" he asked no one in particular.

"That was Draco Malfoy and his cronies Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," Harry answered.  The others all sniggered at the names.  "They think they are the greatest.  But, of course, they hate me and all of my friends.  And anyone who doesn't have as much money as them.  They make my blood boil."

"Well, you don't have to worry about them for a while, cousin," Kayla said as she noticed him start to shake with rage.  "I think I sufficiently scared him off for a while.  You know that I wouldn't **_actually_** hurt him.  But he doesn't know that.  For now, he is afraid that I am going to skewer him on my sword.  Not that I wouldn't love to, but I have more honor than that."

Their conversation was ended abruptly by the lady with the food trolley coming by and asking if they wanted anything.  This led to a long explanation to the musketeers about wizard candy.

Soon, they all changed into their Hogwarts robes (the girls went into a different compartment), and the train stopped.  As they stepped off of the train, the 18 exchange students were amazed at the sight before them.  They couldn't see the castle from where they were, but they had never been in a city like the one this before.

A man Harry and the others addressed as "Hagrid," directed the exchange students to take a giant horseless carriage to the castle where Professor McGonogall would meet them.  Amazingly enough, all 18 of them fit inside the carriage comfortably and the shortly arrived.  An elderly woman met them on the stairs to the castle and ordered them to follow her as if she expected no less.  She stopped right outside large doors that led to what she called the Great Hall.

"Inside these doors," she explained, "is where you will be eating all of your meals.  You will sit with your houses that you shall be shortly sorted into.  You must try on a hat and it will decide which house to place you in.  You will be sorted before the new first-years.  Now follow me please."  She turned and opened the doors, walking inside as the Americans followed her.

Inside the room were four long tables that apparently seated the four houses.  Kayla spotted Harry and the others that she met on the train at one table that she assumed was Gryffindor.  They were led to the front of the room and stopped in front of the table that apparently seated the teachers.  Professor McGonogall placed an old black hat on top of a three-legged stool and everyone became quiet in anticipation of what would happen next.  None of the American students were prepared for what did happen.

The hat opened a mouth, and sang:

_"I may not look like much,_

_But I assure you looks deceive._

_I can see into your mind_

_And into which house you should be, perceive._

_Your mind betrays all._

_Your dominant characteristic I shall see._

_You may have more than one,_

_But I will put you where you should be._

_Noble Hufflepuff:_

_The very loyal and devout._

_Those who stand up for what is right_

_And for those who are close to them._

_Brave Gryffindor:_

_Those made of sterner stuff that the rest._

_Those not afraid of danger and death._

_Those not afraid to fight for what is right._

_Crafty Slytherin:_

_Those with ambition are placed here._

_Trying to achieve more than they are._

_Those with the will to be great._

_Wise Ravenclaw:_

_The most intelligent of all._

_Those not afraid to use their mind_

_And learn truths untold._

_So sit down on this stool_

_And on your head place me._

_Let me have a look around_

_And determine where you should be._

_Don't be shy,_

_I do not bite._

_And I never tell your secrets_

_So come let us see _

_Where you shall be." _

"When I call your name please come and sit on the stool so I you can be sorted," Professor McGonogal said.  "Alberts, Julia." After a few seconds, the hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!"  Next, it was Jason's turn.  Soon, he was made a Gryffindor.  Next came James.  The musketeers were all shocked when he was made a Ravenclaw.  Stunned, James went to find a seat amongst the cheering table.  Before it was Kayla's turn, Tani Flyn joined James at Ravenclaw, Josh Gold became a Slytherin, Sara Jacobson was sorted into Gryffindor, James Johnson was made a Slytherin, and Rachel Mitchells went to Ravenclaw.

Trembling, Kayla approached the stool to try on the hat.  She was torn.  She desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor with Jason and Harry, but she didn't want James to be by himself.  She placed the hat on her head and suddenly heard a voice inside her head, _Oh my word.  You really are related to Potter.  I understand your wishes to be with your friends and I know how torn you are.  But, I know where you will be happiest, child.  You are intelligent, loyal, and brave.  But, I must put you in_…"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat to the entire hall.  Kayla went to sit next to Jason and near the people she met on the train.

Jacob was sorted into Ravenclaw, so at least she stopped worrying about James.  Mark Rogers was placed into Hufflepuff.  The twins were both put into Gryffindor, and although they tried to hide it, Kayla noticed that the Weasley twins looked very happy when this was discovered.  Soon the other five exchange students were sorted (Nina Rosen into Ravenclaw; Michael Sampson and George Wilson into Hufflepuff; Jeff Tacy and Rebecca Yuland into Slytherin) and the first years came in to be sorted.

Once that was done, Professor Dumbledore stood up to give his customary beginning of term speech.  "I would like everyone to note that the Forbidden Forest is still forbidden to all students.  Mr. Filch has once again added to the list of dangerous objects and if you wish to see the entire list, it is in his office.  In light of the events at the end of last year, I will not ask you not to speak of them, I will merely ask you not to ask the persons involved questions that they do not wish to answer.  Hopefully this year will be a little less exciting.  

"I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of the exchange students.  And, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Hope Forest."  As soon as he said this, Kayla fainted and if it weren't for Jason's arm holding her up, she would have fallen on the floor.  The entire student body turned as Hope walked through the entrance to the Great Hall and took the empty seat at the teachers' table.  "Although she is not a permanent teacher, but rather an exchange teacher, per say, I expect you to treat her with as much respect as you give to the rest of us."  The 18 students who had spent the summer with Hope (minus Kayla who was still unconscious) started to clap wildly.  "That being said, tuck in."

As the food appeared, Kayla managed to come around and glare at her mother while she talked to her new friends.  "So, can we continue that discussion now?" asked George who sat across from Kayla.

"Yeah.  Okay, here is the thing.  While I am a seeker, I can also play keeper because we trained together.  So that will help for this year.  Then Jason here can fill in for chaser.  That would serve for this year.  But then next year comes, and Harry is left all alone to try and bring together a winning team.  So here is what I propose.  First of all, make him captain this year.  He would obviously be it next year, and he can probably use the experience.  And that way, he can also consult you for everything that way although he is in charge, he has you as back up in case something goes wrong."

Harry blanched at the thought but the rest of the team was nodding, "Yeah, that makes sense," Fred admitted.  "But what about players."

"That is where me and Jason and the twins really come into play.  We will help you guys train people to play next year.  The twins can train the beaters, I will train the keeper, and Jason will train the chasers.  We could always use your help since you know the opposition, though.  Next year's players can also play as this year's reserves.  You never know if someone will get hurt.  I can always act as reserve seeker if I am needed, too.  Choose younger students though, that way they won't leave soon.  And before you leave, Harry, you should train a replacement seeker."

The entire team looked at her weirdly before a chorus of "You're a genius," "How did you think of that?," "I love you cousin," and statements along the same lines met her suggestions.  Apparently her reasoning made sense to these people.

"You should hold tryouts for the reserve positions but me and Jason should actually play."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, we have experience that no one else will have.  And you can't just appoint them to positions.  You wouldn't know if they were the best for the job.  Though, the reserve beaters won't even get a chance to play, since if anything happens to you two, Tori and Keri will play."

The conversation drifted to other topics, and soon the feast was over.  The prefects stood up to lead the first-years and exchange students to their dorms, but Kayla, Jason, Tori, and Keri wanted to go speak to a few people first.  They dragged Harry with them since he was a prefect and could keep them from getting lost.  First they went to talk to James and Jake.

"I can't believe you guys are in a different house," Kayla exclaimed.

"Kayla, breathe," Jake commanded.  "It really is okay.  We will still be in some classes together.  At least we aren't in Slytherin."  He pushed her in the opposite direction.  "Now I know you are dying to give Hope an earful, so go ahead and do it."

The 5 Gryffindors finally found Hope just as she was about to leave the Great Hall. "Professor Forest," Kayla shouted to be heard over the ruckus to get her mother's attention. She didn't want everyone there knowing their relationship. But, silently she added, _Mother, you've got a lot of explaining to do. You had better wait for us, or we will have to resort to doing something drastic. _  
  
As commanded, she waited for them to catch up. "Yes," she said.   
  
"Why didn't you tell us that you were going to be teaching here?" Kayla snarled immediately.   
  
"Why else would I have come to London with the rest of you?" she answered mildly.   
  
"We thought that you wanted to make sure I was okay until we got here," Kayla mumbled.   
  
"Well, you have got part of that correct. I wanted to be able to protect you. So I asked principle Rosenthal if there was I way I could come, too. She said that Professor Dumbledore was still looking for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and had asked her if she knew of anybody willing to do it. He decided that since the students were having an exchange program, he didn't see any reason why a teacher couldn't do the same thing. So here I am. I would have thought you would be happier to see me."   
  
"I would have been happier if you had told me. I don't need a babysitter," Kayla grumbled.   
  
Harry started to laugh. When Kayla glared at him, he explained, "You do not know how much I understand how you feel. Even my best friends act like babysitters half of the time." Kayla, too, saw the irony of their situations and started to laugh.   
  
Hope narrowed her eyes and looked at them. "I take it that you are Harry Potter?"   
  
"Yes ma'am," he said.   
  
"Maybe sometime you would like to come by my room and visit with my dog. I hear that you like large, black ones." Harry's face lit up incredibly as she said this.   
  
"Would this dog's name be Snuffles, by chance?" he asked amusedly.   
  
"Well, as a matter of fact, it is," Hope told him.   
  
"I'll make sure I come by tomorrow then. Are you guys ready to go up yet?" he asked, looking at his new watch, a birthday gift from Hermione. "I bet we would be just in time to keep Ron and Hermione from attacking each other."   
  
The other four looked at him, shocked. "I thought they were friends?" Tori stammered.   
  
"Oh, they are. But they can't help but drive each other insane. And, they both have crushes on the other but won't admit it. If you see the fight you will know what I mean." He grabbed Kayla and Tori's robes and started to pull them to the stairs, "Good-night, Professor Forest. C'mon you guys."

Harry let go of them and started to climb the stairs, pointing things out on the way like the trick stair. Keri almost stepped on it, before he warned her, "Don't step on that stair! It is trick. You have to jump it or you will be stuck."   
  
The others just looked at each other. "What do you mean?" Tori asked.   
  
"Why don't you try it and see what happens," he suggested. She did so. She stepped on it and immediately she fell through it. "Now, try to get out. It is impossible unless you have help…" he trailed off as Tori teleported quickly out of the stair so that she was standing next to the others. "How did you do that?"   
  
"It is part of what we learn at our school. Here is another part," Tori said as she used her powers to imagine the stair as usable. It would only work for her, but she wouldn't fall. Concentrating, she put her wait on the step and walked to the other side. The others followed Tori's example, except for Harry. He still had to jump over the stair.   
  
Soon they reached a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. "This is the portrait hole," Harry explained. "The password is 'Silver Rose.'" As he said this, the picture swung forward, and they could hear two voices yelling at each other. "What did I tell you?" Harry said resignedly. "They are arguing. Well, we might as well go in and try and stop them…"

"Who do you think your are, asking me what I did with Viktor over the summer?" Hermione screamed at Ron.   
  
"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just asking if you had fun. Isn't that what friends do?" Ron shouted back.   
  
As the others walked in, Harry let out a deep sigh and whispered, "When they argue about Viktor Krum, things tend to get worse." Ron and Hermione were standing in the middle of the room oblivious to the fact that the entire house was watching them.   
  
"The way you do it seems like prying! Just stay out of my life with Viktor! I am sick and tired of you being such a prat about it."   
  
"I am not being a prat!"   
  
"Now you're in denial also!"   
  
Harry could tell that this row was going downhill fast. He used his excellent seeker abilities to develop a plan. He quickly stepped in between them. "Would you two just shut up?" he shouted.   
  
"Harry, stay out of this!" they both screamed at him.   
  
"Would you two look at yourselves? You look like first years, not fifth year prefects. You are supposed to be setting an example for the younger students, but instead you are up here, arguing over nothing." When they both stayed silent, Harry knew he needed to take things further. "If you can't act your ages, I will have to be the responsible one." The looked about ready to say something, but before they could, he bellowed, "BOTH OF YOU, GO TO YOUR ROOMS AND DON'T COME OUT UNTIL YOU CAN BE CIVIL TO EACH OTHER! AND WHEN WE GO DOWN FOR BREAKFAST, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY ARGUING!" His two best friends were both so shocked to hear Harry take charge, they actually listened to him and went upstairs.

"Hey, Harry," shouted one of the older students. "Nice job. I didn't know you had it in you." Harry just smiled weakly.   
  
Harry turned to the American students, "Boys' dorms are on the left, girls' are on the right. I'll take you, Jason. Girls, just walk up the stairs and look for the door that says 5th years. Hermione should be in there. If not, come back down and shout up to me and I will go find her. Got it?" They all nodded and went where he directed.   
  
The girls did indeed find the room, and Hermione was indeed in it. she was the only one in there, although they could tell that there was supposed to be one other girl because of the number of beds and trunks. Hermione was lying face down on her bed and from her muffled sobs, they could tell that she was crying. "Hermione, do you want to tell us what is wrong?" Kayla asked.   
  
"Not really," she said. Well, actually it was what they thought she said, since it was mostly muffled by the pillow.   
  
"You do know that we are going to keep bugging you until you tell us," Keri said.   
  
"And it is not like we don't know what inconsiderable jerks guys can be. After all, we have been friends with Jason, James, and Jake for a while," Tori interjected.   
  
Hermione lifted up her head and they could tell that she was seriously upset. Tears were running unchecked down her face, and her eyes were red and puffy. She just sat there, crying, for a while before suddenly blurting out, "He drives me absolutely insane!"   
  
"Ron, I assume?" Kayla guessed. When Hermione nodded, she continued, "Well, it is probably that he is jealous that because of Krum, you might start ignoring him. The way guys think is that bad attention, i.e. you screaming at him, is better than no attention."   
  
"So why doesn't Harry act this way?" Hermione wanted to know.   
  
"Um…well…probably because he is more mature. He knows that no matter what is going on between you and Krum, you will always have time for him. He knows that he is in another category than Krum. Krum is a man one that you might be attracted to, even. Harry, on the other hand, is your best friend and therefore like a brother: untouchable. He knows this. Either Ron hasn't realized this, or he wants to be seen as something other than your best friend." Kayla couldn't help say that last bit about Ron. Harry had been right; they both really liked each other. Kayla hoped that maybe she could help them both see it.   
  
Hermione gave one last sniff as she thought about this, and Tori judged this a good time for a change of subject. "So, who is this Krum guy?" she asked innocently.   
  
"Here, let me get you a picture of him that I took this summer. Viktor is the seeker on the Bulgarian national Quidditch team. I met him last year since he was his school's triwizard champion. We went to the Yule ball together and I went to his house over the summer. It was so beautiful there. We decided not to officially be going out, though. We don't need the publicity, and that way we can have the freedom of dating other people."   
  
"That was a very mature decision," Kayla said. "Sometimes I wish that I haven't known Jason since kindergarten. He knows almost everything about me. It can be kind of disconcerting. You should be lucky that you don't have a guy like that."   
  
"Yeah," Hermione mumbled but wishing that she had someone whom knew her so well and cared about her as much as Jason obviously cared about Kayla. "Thanks guys. Goodnight. Do you want me to wake you up in time for breakfast?"   
  
"Yeah, that would be great," they murmured as they got ready for bed.   
  


Meanwhile, Harry led Jason up to the 5th year guys' dorm. They found Ron lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He turned his head as they walked in. "Come to yell at me some more, Harry?" he asked.   
  
Harry blushed slightly. "No," he said, but added under his breath, "But maybe I should." Jason, hearing this comment started to chuckle softly. Both Ron and Harry glared at him. Jason held his hands out in front of him and just went to sit on the only unclaimed bed in the room.   
  
"So, what exactly was that about this time?" Harry wanted to know.   
  
"Well, it all started out fine," Ron grumbled. "We led the first years up and then we sat down to wait for you. Since we hadn't had a chance to talk on the train and we didn't see each other over the summer, I asked her how her summer was. She said it was great. She spent most of it with her parents, but she went to Bulgaria for a month. I just asked if she has fun and she blew up at me. I think that was probably where you came in."   
  
Harry, having no experience with girls looked pleadingly at Jason. Jason just smiled and winked, signifying that he had it all under control. "Ron," he began. "You see, girls just don't think the same way we do. Something that seems perfectly neutral to us is offensive to them. I don't understand them, and I don't pretend to. But, after being friends with Kayla and the twins for so long, I think that I can make a few assumptions about them. My guess, though, is that she thought you were either prying into something that she didn't think was any of your business. Or she thought that you were implying something." When Ron started to protest, he held his hand up to tell him to stop and continued, "I would probably say, that maybe she is thinking things about you that she would like to ignore and the only way to do this is to be mean to you." Before Ron could figure out what Jason was trying to say, the latter was already in bed and to all appearances fell asleep.


	14. Night

**Chapter 14**

As soon as everyone was asleep, Jason quietly got out of bed and tiptoed downstairs.  Once in the common room, he sat down in front of the fireplace.  Although he wouldn't admit to it, he was worried.  They were 5 years behind everyone else.  However, Remus and Sirius, over the summer, had tried to teach them what they would need to know.

Jason was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone else quietly walk down the stairs.  A redheaded girl was about to sit down when she saw him.  "Oh!" she exclaimed, startling him out of his reverie.

He looked up at her.  "I'm sorry," he apologized.  "I was just thinking."

She sat down next to him.  "You're Jason, right?"  When he nodded, she continued, "I'm Ginny Weasley.  Ron's little sister."

"Nice to meet you," Jason replied.  "So, why are you down here?"

"Well, sometimes, when I am here, I have trouble sleeping.  So I come down here and dream about this guy I like."

"Harry?" Jason interrupted.  Ginny turned bright red and looked slightly panicked.  "Don't worry.  I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks.  So, I come down here and think about what it would be like if he liked me back.  Then, towards dawn, I go back to my dorm and pretend to be asleep.  My friends never notice that I am gone."

"This all sounds very familiar…" Jason mused.  "Ginny, I am going to tell you a story.  It's about me and Kayla.  We grew up together.  We lived only a few blocks apart, and we went to the same school.  Now, when I was in about 6th grade, I realized that I had a big crush on her, little did I know that she felt the same.  Both of our best friends knew, and they did their best to push us together.  But, neither of us did anything until the end of November of last year.  I won't go into details, but eh short of it is that we found out how the other felt and we have been together ever since."

"That is really sweet, but why are you telling me this?"

"My point is: How do you know that he doesn't like you?"

"Because he is my older brother's best friend!"

"So?"

"So, he only sees me as a little sister!"

"How do you know that?"

"Well, he's never acted like I was anything else."

"Since you have three older brothers, I wouldn't have either."

Ginny laughed as she saw the truth in this.  "Actually, it's six."

"Six what?" Jason asked, puzzled.

"Brothers.  I have 6 older brothers.  Bill works in Egypt for Gringotts.  Charlie works with dragons in Romania.  Percy works in the ministry.  You've met Fred, George, and Ron.  I'm the only girl, and the youngest.  They can be so overprotective sometimes."  After thinking a moment, she amended, "Well, scratch that.  They are **_always_** overprotective."

"Right.  So take things slow.  I will try to find out how Harry feels.  In the mean time, stop moping.  How about trying to help me with my problem?"

"Sure.  You helped me, I'll help you."

"Is there anything I need to know before class tomorrow?"

Ginny laughed.  "Snape favors his house, Slytherin, and hates us Gryffindors.  So don't do anything to annoy him.  History of magic is boring.  I catch up on the sleep I miss then."

"Is there anyway you can give me a quick lesson so that I am not behind?"

Ginny started to teach him the basics of charms and transfiguration, which no matter how many times they explained it, Jason never understood what Remus and Sirius were saying.  They were so engrossed in what they were doing that neither noticed that someone was watching them.  Their silent observer quietly went back upstairs to his dorm, and took off his invisibility cloak.

When Jason had left the room, he had woken Harry, who had been a light sleeper since the Voldemort incident in June, up.  He guessed that Jason didn't want company, so Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and followed Jason.  He, of course, heard the entire conversation with Ginny.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The next day, as promised, Hermione woke the girls up so that they would be able to eat before class.  "You'll get used to it, I promise," she reassured as the 4 of them made their way to the common room to meet up with Harry, Ron, and Jason.  The last looking like he was still asleep.

"Good morning, sleepy," Kayla greeted Jason as she kissed him.  He just grumbled in response.

As ordered, Hermione and Ron acted civil to each other.  In fact, they were almost friendly to each other.  Unbeknownst to the other, they both had talks with their dorm mates about the other.  The girls considered it a personal mission to get them together before Halloween.

They all sat down at the Gryffindor table and soon the Weasley twins, the rest of the house team, and Ginny sat down with them.  "Oh, yeah, this is my little sister Ginny," Ron introduced as she sat down.  She smiled at Jason when no one was looking.  They decided not to tell anyone about their talk last night because it could bring up uncomfortable topics.

Professor McGonogall handed them their timetables and they started comparing.  "Oh no," groaned Harry and Ron simultaneously.  "Divination after lunch."

"Serves you right for taking that class," Hermione told them perkily before asking the Americans, "What do you for have?"

"After lunch today?  I have arithmancy," Kayla said to Hermione's pleasure and the boys' utter disgust.

Keri and Tori both had arithmancy with Kayla and Hermione, but Jason was taking divination.  "We would be learning fore-telling back home this year.  So I figured I might as well see how others do it."  Hermione just snorted.  She saw absolutely no reason to take divination.  At all.  Period.  End of sentence.  No questions asked.

They went back to looking at their schedules.  "Well at least we don't have potions till tomorrow," Harry said as optimistically as possible.  Then he looked again and nearly screamed with frustration.  "We're stuck with the Slytherins.  Again."

"We have Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow first thing," Harry said, eager to see Hagrid.  He looked up at the others to see them shaking their heads.

"Sorry," Kayla apologized.  "We have Ancient Runes."  They continued to look over their schedules and they had all the same classes other than those already mentioned.  

The group of friends said goodbye to the others sitting near them, and got up and left the Great Hall.  They made their way to greenhouse 5 where they were supposed to have Herbology with the 5th year Hufflepuffs.  As they walked in, Professor Sprout directed them to take a seat at a table.  They sat down at one that had enough room for 6 students.  There was a large crate on the table.  The box said "FLAME RESISTANT" in big letters on the top.  They looked at each other with wide eyes, waiting on the rest of the class.

As soon as everyone was in their seat, Professor Sprout held up her hands to show that she wanted silence.  "Alright, everyone, today we are working with a very dangerous plant.  It is called Atzei Esh.  Can anyone tell me about it?"  Immediately, 3 hands shot up in the air.  Hermione's, Neville's, and Tori's.  "Hermione, you start."

"It grows in the Middle East.  The name literally means "trees of fire" in Hebrew.  One of its properties is that it will burst into flame when placed in water," Hermione answered.

"Good.  10 points to Gryffindor.  Anything else?"  Again, the same three hands shot up into the air.  "Neville, your turn."

"However, once the leaf goes out, the water is poisonous to drink and could kill someone in a matter of seconds."  It seemed that over the summer Neville had begun to gain some self-confidence in himself.  He no longer doubted that he was good at some things even though he had a difficult time in Potions.  Snape would always intimidate him, but he had seen a therapist about his fear and she had recommended taking his time in potions class so that he wouldn't make careless mistakes so that Snape wouldn't have a reason to yell at him.

"Very good.  10 more points to Gryffindor.  Yes, Miss Rose?"

Tori assumed that she was being called on since Keri didn't have her hand in the air.  "But, the leaves have a high dose of insulin in them and if they are crushed and made into a potion, it is able to help with diabetes.  This potion only needs to be taken once a month and the diabetic would be fine.  It is better than shots and insulin pumps but hasn't yet been sold to the muggles yet, since there are some ingredients that would be hard to explain."

"Excellent.  Most students don't know that.  20 points to Gryffindor."  Tori beamed as her friends smiled.  They all knew she had diabetes and was kind of shy about it.  "It is very amazing how one plant can be a deadly poison in one form and be a useful medicine in another.  Well, what we are doing today is crushing them.  Professor Snape and Madame Pompfrey will then mix it into the potion for diabetes.  Please wear the gloves provided, because since humans are 90% water, it would not be a pleasant sight.  When we are done, please deposit the gloves in the bin up front so that they can be properly washed of any residual substance."

With that, the class went to work.  It took a few tries for everyone to get a hang of crushing the succulent leaves.  Everyone except Tori that is.  She had been doing this since she found out she had diabetes when she was 10.  She also knew how to make the potion.  She made it instead of buying it since it was cheaper to buy the supplies than the finished product.  At first, the doctor made it with her helping.  But she soon could make it on her own and had been since.

Soon, the class was over and everyone hurried to put their gloves in the bin and wash their hands so they wouldn't be late to their next class.  The 6 Gryffindors hurried to the transfiguration room.  They had it with the Ravenclaws so the Americans especially were excited.  They really wanted to talk to Jake and James.

Soon, the class was over and everyone hurried to put their gloves in the bin and wash their hands so they wouldn't be late to their next class. The 6 Gryffindors hurried to the transfiguration room. They had it with the Ravenclaws so the Americans especially were excited. They really wanted to talk to Jake and James.   
  
The transfiguration classroom was set up so that two people could sit at each table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went straight to the seats they usually sat is. Harry and Ron sat together at one table. Hermione sat at the table on the other side of Harry. In front of Hermione sat the twins and in front of Ron and Harry sat Kayla and Jason. The rest of the Gryffindors took their seats (Neville next to Hermione) and waited for the Ravenclaws to come.   
  
Soon, they could hear a bunch of students on their way to the door and Jason turned around expectantly. Sure enough, it was the Ravenclaws and James and Jake came into the room. They sat down at the table next to Jason and said "hi" to all of their Gryffindor friends. Then, the six of them just sat there silently taking all of their supplies out of their bags. Harry, Ron, and Hermione just stared at each other blankly. They knew that the 6 were good friends. They wanted to know why none of them were talking to each other. Little did they know that there was a conversation going on. It was just silent.   
  
_So, how was your evening? _Jason asked the guys. They were having a six-way conversation so that it was the same as if they were talking aloud, but no one else could have any input.   
  
_It was really great. The guys in our dorm are really nice. Anyways, Rachel is also in our house. _James replied.   
  
_When they found out that we were part of the international high school champs, they wanted to know if we would like to be on the Quidditch team. We said sure. Too bad you aren't in our house though, Kayla. _Jake added.   
  
_Why? _Kayla waned to know.   
  
_They have a seeker position open, _Jake explained. _But they also have a keeper position and 2 chaser positions. So we can play if we want to. _  
  
_Gryffindor has a couple openings as well. We definitely are playing, _Jason told them.   
  
_So, how was your first class? _Tori asked them.   
  
_It was really cool! We had Charms. You will never believe the stuff these people know that they learn here, _Jake gushed. _What did you guys have? _  
  
_We had Herbology, _Keri answered. _It was pretty interesting. _  
  
At this point, Professor McGonogall entered the room and began class. She gave them all a glass and told them to transfigure it into any animal that they wanted as long as it moved. They would lose points if it was still transparent.

They took out their wands and started to transfigure their glasses. Hermione, of course, was the first to transfigure her glass into a perfect hummingbird. The six friends continued to talk to each other while they attempted to do it. Jason was the first to finally get it (thanks to Ginny's help from the night before). His glass was turned into a miniature golden retriever puppy. It would have been perfect except the fur was still slightly glassy looking.   
  
_Jason, how did you do that? _Kayla demanded to know.   
  
Jason thought for a minute before answering, _Think really hard about what you are changing this into. Then pick your wand up and use that spell that she just taught us. _  
  
Kayla thought concentrated on her favorite animal. Then she waved her wand and said, "Glassius Changus!" Before her eyes, her glass morphed into an adorable little kitten. It was perfect. Er…she was perfect. She had no glassy appearances or anything.   
  
At the end of class, Professor McGonogall stood up and informed the class, "If you transfigured your glass into a cat, owl, toad, or rat you may keep it as a pet. If not, please bring it up front and we will find a way to release it. Kayla kept her kitten and Harry kept the miniature owl that Hermione helped him perfect. The rest took their animals up to the front of the room and put them in different sized cages so that Professor McGonogall could deal with them all when she had time.   
  
As they walked out of class and headed to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione looked a little bit depressed. Kayla noticed this. "Hey, Hermione, what is wrong?"   
  
"I just got a little attached to the hummingbird I made. That's all," she replied, just a little forlorn.   
  
Kayla glanced at Harry and his owl and suddenly got an idea. "Harry, weren't you complaining about not knowing what to do with another owl?"   
  
"Yes," Harry replied slowly, not knowing where his cousin was going with this.   
  
"Why don't you give her to Hermione? She is a little upset about the hummingbird. It would really cheer her up."   
  
"That is a really good idea." Harry jogged to catch up with Hermione so that he could talk to her. They both stopped and the others could see him hand her the owl.   
  
As they caught up, they could hear her say, "Thank you so much, Harry. I absolutely love her. I think I will call her Antiope. Kayla what are you going to call your cat?"   
  
"I think I will name her Merenwen. I read about someone named that once, and fell in love with the name." The girls all thought the names were cute. The guys thought they were disgusting.   
  
They reached the Great Hall and James and Jake split off from the group to go sit with their table. The rest sat at the Gryffindor table and Kayla and Hermione started to show off their new animals.

After the discussion about the animals was over, James commented to the girls, "Well, at least we know that James and Jake are enjoying themselves."

"Yeah," Kayla agreed.  "You're right."

The Hogwarts trio looked at each other and Ron voiced their opinions, "How do you know that?  You only said "hi" to them.  If you hadn't told us, we would never have guessed that you were even friends with them, let alone best friends."

The American students burst out laughing.  "We were talking to them the entire class," Tori explained.  "You just couldn't hear it."

"So how did you do it? ESP?" Ron demanded.

"Exactly," Keri answered.  "At our old school we learned how to communicate telepathically.  Quite useful when you don't want others to hear you."

"Oh," Ron said, sheepish.  Then he looked at his watch.  "Oh, we gotta go, Harry, Jason.  It will take a little to get to Divination."  The guys all stood up to go.

"Oh," Hermione added.  "We should go, too.  That way we can stop by the tower to put our new pets in our room."  The girls got up also.  "See you guys in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she called over her shoulder as they walked away.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

Soon, Arithmancy was over and the girls went to meet up with the guys for Defense Against the Dark Arts.  They sat down in the same seating arrangement as they had in transfiguration, saving seats for Harry, Ron, and Jason.  They came in, Harry complaining about how, yet again, she had predicted his death.  This time by doing a tarot card reading.  Jason looked absolutely disgusted.

"That was a mockery of fore-telling," Jason griped.  "I know a little about the real stuff, and that was about as far from it as I am from the sun!  And the worst part is those poor people who actually believe her!"

They had no more time for talk of their other classes, for Hope walked in just then, a black dog trailing behind her, and began class.  "This class is called Defense Against the Dark Arts.  I am supposed to teach you about dark creatures and how to defeat them.  I was also told that 5th years are to concentrate on defense against the Dark Lord.  In this class, I will not teach you spells or charms or potions to defend yourselves.  This is because I believe that the best defense is to surprise your opponent.  If you can keep them guessing, you will have the upper hand.

"In this class, you will learn things that you have probably have never heard of.  This is because they are mainly taught in the states.  I learned what I know there, and I am most comfortable with it.  My goal is to make you comfortable with it so that if you are ever in a situation when you would need it, you will be prepared.

"Specifically you will learn self-defense work, weapon of your choice.  I will also teach you teleportation and mental telepathy.  Combined these could save your life.  All that I ask is that you don't tell anyone about this.  The less who know, the more of a surprise.  The more of a surprise, the better your chance of survival.  Now, I know that this is a lot to absorb, so I won't actually teach anything today.  I will have a demonstration.  If we have time, there will be two."  She said this last bit with a twinkle in her eyes.  Kayla immediately knew what was going on.

"What are you going to show us?" Dean Thomas asked curiously.

"Oh, I am not showing you anything," she said mischievously.  "Kayla and Jason are.  If we have time, Tori and Keri will."  Jason and Kayla stood up and walked to the front of the room.  They both took off their outer robes.  Kayla looked down at her clothes and grimaced.

"Can I change into something easier to move in?" she asked her mother.  When Hope nodded, she used her telekinetic powers to change her skirt, blouse, and stockings into black pants and shirt that would give her freedom of movement without getting in her way.  The males in the room couldn't help but notice how good she looked.  She ignored their stares.  As she did this, Hope instructed the class to push the desks to the outside of the room so that no one would be in any danger of getting hurt.

As soon as everyone was far enough away, Hope called out, "You two know the drill.  Just like how we practice all the time.  Ready, BEGIN!"

The two fighters immediately called in their swords.  The class gasped as Kayla and Jason brought them together in a loud crash.  They exchanged blows.  At one point, Kayla would be winning, and then Jason would turn the tables.  They were moving quick as lightning, and they were just warming up.  As they continued, they kept getting faster and faster until they were just a blur.  The class could barely see what they were doing.  Finally they stopped moving.  Kayla was practically kneeling on the floor with her arms over her head holding desperately onto her sword.  Jason was using his sword to press down on her making it impossible for her to get up.  The class let out a collective gasp at what they thought was the end of the demonstration.  Hope knew better though.

Suddenly, Kayla disappeared, only to reappear behind Jason.  Before anyone could react, she brought her sword down in one, swift motion towards the back of Jason's head.  She wasn't planning on hurting him, just knocking him out for a little.  She would wake him up.  But, just as her sword was about to connect, Jason turned around and pulled his sword up to block against her attack.  Surprised, she tried to regain what she had lost.  But she knew she had lost.  He had gained the advantage.  She was right.  Within a few minutes, Jason's sword managed to find its way to her neck.  They both froze as the blade rested against her neck.  They just stared into each other's eyes.  The sound of clapping brought them back to reality.  They vanished their swords and started to walk around the edge of the room to cool down.

Hope began to talk about what they did, but Kayla and Jason didn't pay much attention.  They were carrying on their own conversation silently.  _How did you know what I was going to do?_ Kayla wanted to know.

Jason laughed quietly while he answered, _You were wide-open, dear heart.  You were concentrating so hard that you let your shields slip.  And since you were thinking about what you were going to do, it wasn't difficult._

_Dammit!  I should have been more careful.  I would have won, too._

By this point, they would be able to sit back down without their muscles cramping up entirely.  So, Kayla changed back into her uniform and they both put their outer robes back on.  Hope looked at the time.  "Well," she commented.  "I think we have enough time for one more demonstration today.  Then, we will start the real work next class."  Tori and Keri made their way to the front of the room.  They shed their outer robes and, like Kayla, changed into more appropriate fighting clothes.

The twins would be fighting hand to hand.  Their daggers worked well for some things, but not close range combat with another parson with daggers.  When Hope told them to begin, they started to exchange punches, kicks, and blocks.  Occasionally they would teleport to another location to attack from.  Their bout finally ended when Hope yelled, "FREEZE!"  Tori and Keri did so.  Immediately they stood upright and started to walk around the room just like Jason and Kayla.  "Alright, that is it for today, class.  I will see you next time."

The class left the room talking excitedly about what they had just seen.  Only Jason, Kayla, Tori, Keri, and the Hogwarts trio remained to speak with Hope.  Hope narrowed her eyes as she looked at her four American students.  "You did well.  But I can tell that you have been neglecting your practice.  You have one week to start up again, or I will personally over see your practices outside of class."

They all looked down at he ground.  "We promise," they chorused.  Mostly they agreed because they knew that if she watched over them, it would be 100 times worse than it should be.

"Good," she said, leaving it at that.  She turned to the Hogwarts trio, "We have time before dinner if you would like to come and see Snuffles."  Harry visibly brightened, so she led the 7 students to her office and living quarters so that they could see Sirius.

They walked in and she placed a strong shield over the room so that no one looking in would see anything that didn't belong, namely Sirius.  He transformed into his human self and embraced Harry in a macho sort of fatherly hug.  He looked Harry in the eyes and asked, "Have you been alright?"  Harry nodded and Sirius didn't press him for details.

"You know, Sirius," Kayla drawled from her position against the door.  "Your godson is entirely too much like you.  He asked why I looked like him when I first met him.  At least he didn't bring scents into the discussion though."  Everyone laughed at this comment, like they were supposed to, and the tension levels visibly lessened.  They left soon, promising to return though, in order to go to dinner.


	15. Practice

**Chapter 15**   
  
That night, in the common room, the four American students decided that they were going to practice so that Hope wouldn't have to supervise. After they changed into their normal practice clothes, they claimed a corner of the room where no one else was and started to stretch. After they stretched for 30 minutes, they started to do their hand-to-hand combat. This was what the twins had done earlier that day. They started out moving slow and worked their speed up to the point that they were just blurs to everyone else in the room. Then, they started to slow back down gradually and eventually stopped.   
  
The Gryffindors sitting in the tower ignored them at first, but as they fought, they drew more and more observers. Soon, the entire tower had stopped whatever they had been doing in order to watch them. When they stopped and started to cool down by stretching out again, George yelled, "Bloody Hell! Where in the hell did you learn that?"   
  
"You should have seen them in Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier," Seamus shouted back. "They were having at each other with weapons. Swords no less!"   
  
The entire room stared at them slack-jawed in awe. "So how long did it take you to learn that?" Lee Jordan wanted to know.   
  
They finally finished and just sat cross-legged on the floor. "Well, we have been training with Hope for less than a year. But she is the best and we have spent a lot of time at it. I assume that she will work you hard and you will become very good in a year," Jason told their observers. "Well, I'm tired so I am going to bed. You can ask us more questions in the morning." He stood up. Jason then helped Kayla get up. He kissed her and they went up their respective staircases.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      * 

The next day, the Gryffindors made it through Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and History of Magic. But then, they had potions. The 4 Americans had been worried about this class so they took seats in the back and tried to act as unobtrusive as possible. Professor Snape stalked into the classroom, his robes billowing out behind him. He stalked to the front of the room, and stood and glared at his class.   
  
"This year, you will be studying how to make specified healing brews. Today we will be starting our research on cures to minor illnesses and pains. You will choose what type of cure you want to research and you will make your own potion. What are you all staring at? Get to work."   
  
The entire class made a mad dash for their books and parchment to start their assignments. They were still surprised about his attitude though. He seemed nicer than usual. But, they decided not to dwell on this for too long. It was a minor blessing, but they took it in stride. They got started on their assignments. They would think about his weird behavior later.   
  
They all flipped through their textbooks looking for ideas for their project. They were supposed to write their own potion so all they could do was look for ideas. Kayla stopped turning of a moment and looked down at the page the book was opened to. Suddenly, she had a great idea. "I've found it!" she shouted really loud. The entire class stopped what they were doing to look at her.   
  
"And, what pray tell, have you found, Miss Osborne?" drawled the potions master from the front of the room.   
  
"Um…well, I found the perfect type of cure to research, sir," she replied with a sweet smile guaranteed to win the heart of any teacher. It was similar to her "win-any-guy-smile" that she used for Jason, but this one was a suck-up smile. "I am terribly sorry that I disturbed the class from their research in my excitement over deciding what to research."   
  
"Oh, well, carry on then. But try to keep the noise level down." He went back to grading the tests he had given the third years earlier that day, and Kayla went back to reading the page in the book, visibly preening. The rest of the class openly stared at Kayla. Never had they seen such an exchange between a Gryffindor and the dread potions professor before. Not even one point had been taken from her house. Snape glared at the class from over the paper he was holding, "Well, what are you lot staring at? Get back to work. The next person to disturb this class will lose 10 points from their house." They quickly reverted their minds to their research, but everyone heaved a mental sigh of relief. It worried them when Snape was nice. They had to account for a new personality. At least with the old, evil Snape, they knew what to expect.

Snape looked up one more time, "I expect you to be able to turn in a short essay on the type of cure you will be researching and why you chose it at the beginning of the next class."   
  
The rest of the period, they spent in silent study. Most of the class still had to decide what type of cure to research. When the class finally ended, Kayla motioned her friends to continue to the Common Room to drop their stuff off before dinner. She would catch up with them later. Knowing them, they would be waiting in the dungeon hallway for her so that they could grill her on her choice of potions.   
  
She walked to his desk and waited till he looked up. "May I help you?" he asked her. Snape himself didn't know why he was being so nice to her, but he couldn't help it. He really should dislike her, he knew. After all she was a Gryffindor and friends with Potter no less. She even looked like him. But, there was something about her…something that projected an aura of calmness about her. There was something else about her though…something that reminded him of someone he had long forgotten. The real reason why he hated James Potter: Charles Potter. 

Charles, just like Snape, had been in Slytherin. They had been best friends until Charles was sent to the States. Snape had watched while Charles' relationship with his brother deteriorated. It was still painful to remember how the brothers who were so close first become distant and then start to hate each other. The day Charles left was the day Snape's life fell apart. It was still painful to go down that avenue of memory lane. Snape had delved into his schoolwork when Charles had left, never to come back. Snape could hate Potter who he knew was his enemy's child, but he could not bring himself to hate this girl who reminded him of his friend.   
  
"Yessir. I just wanted to know if you had any potion books that I could borrow to supplement my research. My book doesn't go into as much detail as I would like and I thought you might have some that would help."   
  
"You may use anything in the bookcase in the back of the room as long as I get it back." He pointed to the shelves in the rear of the room. Kayla made her way to the books. She carefully selected some that she would find useful including _Basic Theory to Creating Cures _and _Advanced Cures 102. _  
  
"Thanks you very much, Professor Snape," she called as she walked out of the classroom. She heard him grunt a reply and she smiled slightly to herself.   
  
She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn't watching where she was going. She walked right into her friends. "Care to explain what that was about, Kayla?" Jason asked as she regained her balance. He took the extra potions books she had borrowed out of her hands before she could protest. He was always chivalrous and did that kind of thing.   
  
"Really. So what made you shout like that?" Keri asked. The Hogwarts trio was still shocked that Kayla hadn't lost any points for their house.   
  
"Oh, I found an idea that would be perfect for me to research," she replied mysteriously.   
  
"Are you going to tell us?" Tori pressed.   
  
"If you are going to bug me about it I guess I will have to…" she smirked. Tori and Keri growled at her. "Alright fine. Well, you know how I always stress out over the littlest thing," the twins nodded vigorously and Kayla scowled at them. "Well, while I was going through our potions book I found this potion that helps people with ADHD concentrate. I was just looking at the ingredients when I noticed that one of them was this plant that I remember reading about in our herbology book. It was one that induced relaxation. So I am thinking that since stress is a common malady amongst teenagers, I could make a potion to cure it!" She said this all really excitedly so no one had the heart to say anything about Snape's odd behavior.   
  
They finally made it to the common room where they would be able to relax for about an hour before dinner. It was a perfect time to practice their self-defense stuff so they all changed and started to stretch out. They had decided to practice when there weren't many people in the common room if they had the choice because the way everyone stared at them was unnerving.   
  
Harry and Ron sat down at a table to play chess while Hermione picked up a book to read. People started to trickle into the common room as classes were ending and it was time for dinner. The 4 Americans finally finished and went to shower really fast before dinner.   
  
Hermione turned to Ron and Harry, "So, did the Head Boy or Girl tell you two that we have a prefects' meeting after dinner?" They didn't look up from their game but shook their heads all the same. "Right, so instead of coming back up here we are supposed to go to the transfiguration room. I wasn't told what it was about so don't even ask," she warned as Ron opened his mouth to ask her something.   
  
"Don't ask about what?" Kayla wanted to know as she flopped down on the chair, putting her legs over the armrest. She had just gotten out of the shower and her hair was still wet.   
  
"Oh, we have a prefects' meeting after dinner and Hermione is being an annoying prat," Ron told her before Hermione could. Her face turned red but decided against yelling at Ron.

Soon, the other 3 came down and they all went down to the Great Hall together. Dinner was pretty uneventful except for when George leaned across the table and stage whispered, "So, Harry, when are we having our first team practice?"   
  
"Well, if you are serious about me being the captain of the team…" the others nodded in a way that left no room for argument. "I was thinking that maybe we would have a couple practices with Kayla and Jason this month and then have the tryouts next month…I kinda figured that we should start early. We need as much advantage as we can get over Slytherin…"   
  
"You're right, Harry," Angelina assured him. "Sounds great."   
  
They changed topics so that there wouldn't be a chance of anyone overhearing their new strategy for the year. When dinner was over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione excused themselves and walked towards the transfiguration room. The rest made their way to the common room where they waited to hear what the prefects meeting was about. Keri and Tori sat down on a couch, against the armrests with their feet on the cushions, sharpening their daggers. Kayla sat on the same chair she was in before and started to read one of her books. Jason sat on the floor with his back leaning up against the chair Kayla was sitting on (remember her back was against one armrest and her feet were over the other. He was sitting so hat his back was against the part that people normally put their feet over). He had a sketchpad and was drawing something. He had started drawing when he was about 9 years old. His little sister, who was 7 at the time, wanted to learn how to draw, but didn't want to take the classes by herself so, being the good brother that he is, Jason went with her. It turned out that he was very talented and so he never stopped taking the lessons even though she did.   
  
That was how they were still sitting 25 minutes later when the prefects came back, all looking very excited about something.   
  


That was how they were still sitting 25 minutes later when the prefects came back, all looking very excited about something.   
  
"Could we have everyone's attention, please? We have an announcement to make. It should only take a few moments." Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at the 8 prefects.   
  
"We would like to announce something that most of you will be very happy about. Dumbledore has decided that he would like to do something to honor the exchange students. He decided upon having a ball since the one we had last year was such a huge success," began a seventh year.   
  
"It will be on Halloween, October 31," continued another.   
  
"It is open to fourth through seventh year students but younger students may be invited, of course," Hermione added.   
  
"But, you don't have to have a date," Harry added as he grimaced at the thought of having to go through the ordeal of asking someone again. A few chuckles met this statement. Hermione glared at him.   
  
"Another thing that is important to remember is that you are to wear either dress robes or a costume," a sixth year prefect added her part.   
  
"Yes and we will be serving traditional American food. That is all. Return to your previously scheduled activities," ended Ron. Everyone pretended to return to their work or games, but they were really talking about the dance. The third years and younger were complaining about not being able to go unless an older student asked them. The older girls were either talking animatedly about whom they wanted to ask them or about what they would wear. The boys were talking about whom to ask.   
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked over to where the others were sitting and sat down on the floor. Or, well, Hermione sat. Harry and Ron flopped. The boys sighed loudly and rather dramatically. "What is up with you two?" Kayla asked, over the top of her book. The others didn't stop what they were doing.   
  
At first they ignored her, but then Harry sighed and looked up at her. "Last year we went through a lot to get dates who we didn't want to be there with."   
  
"Yeah, well, I am not going to go alone. I will get a date." Ron left no room for disagreement. Hermione snorted softly. Suddenly, Ron got a wicked gleam in his eyes. He had an idea. "Hermione, would you go with me? As friends you know," he added quickly.   
  
She blushed but agreed all the same. Kayla couldn't help but mention to Jason and the twins silently, _As friends my ass. _The other three had to quickly turn their laughs into coughs when the Hogwarts trio stared at them.   
  
"Jason, what are you drawing?" Hermione asked to change subjects.   
  
"Oh…um…just a picture." He showed them. It was a picture of the three girls during one of their fighting practices.   
  
"That is really good," Hermione breathed. The boys nodded vigorously. Tori and Keri still hadn't looked up from sharpening their daggers.   
  
"Oh, and by the way, guys, we will be having a Quidditch practice on September the 21. That is in a couple weeks. I just wanted to let you know before then," Harry told them. They continued talking for a while until Kayla suddenly stood up and said that she was going to bed. The others agreed and so they all traipsed up to their rooms to go to sleep.

That night, Jason was reminded of what he had promised Ginny.  The next day he was going to have a little talk with his good friend Harry.  Preferably without Ron.  That could take some planning.

The next morning, Jason woke up still tired.  He had sat up till almost midnight trying to think of a way to talk to Harry without Ron being around.  Jason knew that Harry would never admit to liking Ginny if her big brother, who happened to be Harry's best friend, was standing next to him.  unfortunately, he still hadn't thought of something that would work.  He would just have to wing it.

Fortunately during breakfast, there was an opportunity too good to resist.  They had all just sat down when, all of a sudden, there was a loud bang and a flash of light.  When everyone could see again, Harry was lying on the floor, unconscious.  Jason knelt next to him and felt his pulse.  Harry was fine except for the fact that he wasn't awake.  That would be easy enough to fix, but he wanted to be out of the Great Hall to do it.

Jason turned to Ron and Hermione who were torn between helping him with Harry and going to yell at ones responsible.  "I will take care of Harry.  You go and do the prefect thing and yell at whoever did this.  He will be fine.  I will take him to the hospital wing."  They just nodded and went off.  Jason slung Harry's arm over his shoulder so that he was holding up both of their weights.  He cast a shield over them so that anyone who looked at them would think that Harry was walking by himself.  What they didn't need was a Slytherin seeing Harry like this.

Instead of taking Harry to the hospital wing, Jason found an empty classroom and gently lied Harry down on the floor.  He reached his hand out over Harry's chest and held it about an inch away from his robes.  A pale glow spread from Jason's hand, engulfing Harry's body.  Then, as soon as it appeared, the glow receded.  Harry's eyes fluttered open and he uttered a groan.

"What happened?" he wanted to know.

"I have no clue.  There was this loud sound, a bright flash and then you were out cold.  I just carried you out of the Great Hall and revived you.  I imagine Ron and Hermione are giving the perpetrators an earful."

"Sounds like Filibuster's No Heat Wet-Start Fireworks," Harry mused.  "But I really don't need you turning into a nursemaid."

"I know."

"I am not going to go looking for trouble.  I am not going to hurt myself if you aren't there watching.  You didn't need to do anything and I would have been fine."

"I know."

"I don-" Harry broke off and looked at Jason.  "You know?"

"Yep.  Kayla feels the exact same way.  I just figured you didn't want to go to the nurse because of that but Ron and Hermione think that is where I took you."

"Oh."

"To fool them even more, what do you say we walk to the Hospital Wing.  We can then walk back and they will think that you were there and that if the nurse let you leave that you are all right."

"Jason, you are a genius!"  So they stood up to do just that.

"So, Harry," Jason asked a few minutes later.  "Who are you going to ask to go to the ball?"

"Well…um…I…uh…wasn't going to ask anyone.  I am planning on going alone, if at all."

"Why?" Jason thought this was the best of all possible situations.  At least Harry wasn't planning on asking anyone else.

"Oh, well, because of who I am, so many girls just want to go with me for the fame.  I would like to go with someone who actually likes me, not just the "Boy-who-lived."  Some guy they don't even know."

Jason brightened even more and had to consciously contain his glee.  "Well, what about Ginny?" he suggested coolly.

"What about her?"

"Why not ask her?"

"I would except for 3 reasons.  3 very tall redheaded reasons.  I am best friends with Ron.  I am afraid that I might ruin our friendship.  And I certainly don't want to be on the twins' bad sides.  If she didn't have a good time, they would blame me and make my life a living hell."

"Oh.  That could be a problem.  But if it weren't for her brothers you would ask her?"

"Yeah.  I realized over the summer that she was someone I could really like.  I don't know her very well, but I think that if I did we would be great together.  I think that it is for the best that Cho is in America.  I mean there are so many memories for her here.  Including me.  I know that I have no chances with her because of Cedric.  And it is for the best that I don't brood on it.  Then, over the summer, I started to think about Ginny more and more.  I don't know her well enough to call it a crush…but you never know."

"Why don't you ask her?  I have the feeling that her brothers would rather that you take her than someone else.  After all, they know you.  And they know that you wouldn't hurt her on purpose.  They wouldn't know that for sure if someone else asked her."

"Hmmm…maybe you're right…I will think about it."

Just then, the others ran up to them.  The plan worked perfectly.  Ron and Hermione assumed that Harry had been to the nurse and was on his way back.  On their way to class, they got the whole story of what happened from Ron and Hermione.  Apparently what happened was that someone had some of the wet-start fireworks in their bag and they had fallen out into the goblet of pumpkin juice in front of Harry.  When they went off, Harry must have gotten hit with backlash because of his near proximity.

Before anyone knew it, it was September 21, the day of their first Quidditch practice. After dinner, they all went up to the tower to get their broomsticks and to change into their practice uniforms. At 7:00, they all met on the Quidditch pitch to begin. Everyone admired Jason's, Kayla's, Tori's, and Keri's new brooms.   
  
Practice began like it normally did. They all split to practice their different positions. The Weasley twins were obviously impressed by the Rose twins' abilities to play beaters. Kayla watched Harry scrutinously. She could assist in helping him even though she was to play keeper this year. After all, she was seeker at heart. He made no mistakes though and so she turned her full attention on what she was doing as keeper.   
  
Halfway through practice they changed and started to do something new. They split into to teams of 2 chasers, 2 beaters, and 1 seeker/keeper (the same person played both). It was basically the Hogwarts team against the Americans, except Angelina was on Kayla's team.   
  
"So tell me again why I am playing keeper, also," Harry whined to Kayla yet again before they began to play.   
  
"Playing keeper will help you gain speed as a seeker. And if you can stop the ball and still catch the snitch now, you will be ready for anything game day," Kayla answered patiently even though she had given him the same answer 20 times already in the last 10 minutes while they explained the drill.   
  
"Fine," he said grumpily. "But I have never played keeper before so no one can yell at me when I miss the ball." They all mounted their brooms and took off. She hovered in front of the hoops and waited for something to happen.   
  
30 minutes later, Kayla finally caught the snitch. Her team won 210-40. They all landed to put the balls away and to discuss their scrimmage. "See, I told you I was a bad keeper. I can't do both things at once," Harry said almost triumphantly.   
  
"No," Kayla corrected. "You are not a bad keeper. Or a bad seeker for that matter. I have just been doing that for a year and you haven't. We should do that every practice. It is a good drill, especially for you. If you can do those two things at once, you will become a much better seeker."   
  
They all trudged back to the common room. Harry, Fred and George went to join Ron and Hermione who were sitting in front of the fire playing chess. Kayla, Jason, Tori, and Keri all changed into their practice clothes and started to do their practice fighting. After a few minutes, Ron royally creamed Hermione. He looked up at their fighting friends and asked, "How often do they do that?"   
  
"Every night, I think," Harry answered. He noticed the Weasley twins staring at the fighters and could only guess at which ones and he doubted it was Jason for obvious reasons. And if any guy so much as looked in Kayla's direction, Jason would blow up.   
  
"Even when there is Quidditch practice, apparently," George added slightly forlornly.   
  
Ron suddenly realized that his older brothers had crushes on the American twins. It was amazing. For once, they were shy around girls. He smiled evilly as his eyes glinted dangerously. "So, who are you two going to ask to the ball?" he asked his brothers.   
  
"Um…I don't know yet," Fred answered absently.   
  
"Dost mine ears deceive me? The Weasley twins **_not_** having dates do the ball!"   
  
"Sod off, Ron!" George told him angrily.   
  
"Why aren't you going with Angelina?" Hermione asked innocently enough.

"She's already going with someone," Fred explained.  "Josh Gold.  A Slytherin no less."

"Kayla say that he is really nice though," Harry protested.  "And she should know.  He came here with them."

"I don't doubt that.  It wasn't like we were going out or anything, so I don't really care who she goes with as long as she has fun.  She is still my friend, after all."

"You know," Harry said pointedly.  "You could just ask them."

"Ask who?"  George tried to act innocent to cover up for his and Fred's blushes.

"Tori and Keri," Ron answered.  "Who was it who told us last year that it was easy to ask a girl?"

"Couldn't have been us," Fred replied.

"I happen to know that they aren't going with anyone yet," Hermione told them.

"Would you three just sod off?!" George cried.

"No," they all said, unabashed.

"Fine, we'll go ask them," George said, dragging his twin out of the chair and marching over to where the four were practicing.  "Tori, Keri, can we talk to you for a minute?" he called in the direction of the rapidly twirling bodies that he presumed were the twins.

"Sure," they heard as one set of bodies stopped moving and walked over to them.  "What can we do for you?"

"We were wondering if you had dates for the ball yet," Fred said nervously even though he knew the answer because Hermione already told them.

"Nah.  If it comes to that, we will just go with Jake and James like usual," Tori replied nonchalantly.

"So, we were…um…wondering if you would want to go with us," George asked, stuttering slightly.  "I mean, it would be perfect: two sets of Gryffindor twins who all are beaters going with each other.  No one will be able to tell us apart!"  As he talked, George became more comfortable with them and he started to open up a little for them.

"Sure," accepted Tori.

"We'd love to," added Keri.  "Look, we need to get back to practicing or we will be in trouble with Hope.  We will talk to you later about what we are wearing so that we all match.  Okay?"

"Great.  See you later then."  The Weasley twins walked back to the trio and sat down.  Their backs were turned or they would have seen Tori and Keri smile to each other and then turn around to finish their practice.

Fred suddenly had a brilliant idea to get at least Harry back for making them go and ask the twins.  "So, Harry, when are you going to ask our baby sister?" he asked, completely innocent.

"I didn't know I was going to," Harry replied warily.  He was always nervous of innocent Fred and George.

"I got to thinking the other day.  You are practically a younger brother already, but we need to make you a part of the family for real.  The only way to do this is to marry one of us fantastic Weasleys.  And since I am pretty sure that none of us but Ginny would be willing to marry you.  So I thought that you might as well ask her to the Halloween Ball."

"What are you up to?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Fred said earnestly.  He really wasn't planning anything.  But Harry didn't know that.  And so he would be nervous and that was the whole plan.  Sometimes, his genius surprised even himself.  "So, you never answered the original question: when are you asking are?"

"Well, if you put it like that I guess I can't **_not_** ask her.  Is tomorrow soon enough for you?"

"It'll do, Harry, it'll do."


	16. The Ball

**Chapter 16**

The next day, Harry did indeed go and ask Ginny to the ball.  He decided to ask her during breakfast so as to get it over with or the Weasley twins would drive him nuts.  He walked into the great hall with Ron, Hermione, Kayla, Jason, and both sets of twins.  They went to sit down with Ginny all knowing that Harry was going to ask her.

"So, Ginny, do you have a date yet?" Harry asked calmly.  Ginny nearly spit out her bite of eggs.  She had never expected Harry to say that line that in male dictated a wish to ask a girl out.  She stared at him mutely for a minute before finally shaking her head no and picking up her goblet to take a gulp of her pumpkin juice.  "So, would you want to go with me?  As friends of course.  I just feel more comfortable asking you than anyone in the school.  I constantly feel as if they just like to be with me on the off chance that they will become famous, too.  I know you don't feel that way.  At least I think you don't…" he tried to lighten the mood by joking around.  He could tell that she was nervous.  "Well?  Would you go with me?"

"Um…yeah.  Sure."  She glanced unobtrusively at Jason who then smiled brightly and held up to thumbs up.  She giggled which she quickly turned into a cough when her brothers looked at her weirdly.  Jason convulsed in silent laughter and only barely managed to make it to his seat and get his laughter under control.

* * * * * *   
  
The weeks went by, and the musketeers became comfortable in their new settings. The Gryffindor musketeers became very close with the Hogwarts trio but they didn't feel bad for leaving Jake and James to fend for themselves. The two Ravenclaws could always be seen in the presence of at least a few of the intelligent, not to mention gorgeous, girls of their house. They fell into a daily routine that never changed. They went to classes in the morning and afternoon. Then had Quidditch practice after dinner. After the finished that, they had their self-defense practice. Then, once a week, they met with Hope so that she could give them the advanced training that they needed. That way, during class they could help her teach the rest of the class. They continued on their potion's projects and did all of their work for their other classes. Harry and Ron had even convinced Jason to make up the divination work.   
  
However, the entire school was looking forward to the up and coming ball. That is, all of the students. Even the Slytherins were excited. It was weird, since the arrival of the Americans, many of the Slytherins had mellowed out just a little bit. With the exception of Malfoy and his lackeys, the entire house had become less mean spirited. In fact, the only rivalry was the same as between the other three houses: friendly competition. Too bad Malfoy messed it up.   
  
Finally, it was the week before the ball. That Sunday was a scheduled Hogsmead trip that everyone took advantage of to plan their costumes. That morning, if you happened to be passing through the town, you would have been amazed that not all the students were in Honeyduke's or even Zonko's. In fact, the most crowded stores were the costume and robe stores where students swarmed trying to buy last minute things.   
  
The two sets of twins could be seen walking down one street talking about what they were going to wear. The Hogwarts trio plus Ginny were traveling from shop to shop trying to decide what to go as. This left Kayla and Jason by themselves. Not that they minded the time they got by themselves. They relished the time alone that they got. They were all going to meet at the Three Broomsticks at 3:00 for a butterbeer along with James and Jake and their dates. The fourteen of them would take up a large part of the pub…but they didn't care.   
  
As they walked down the streets, hand-in-hand, Kayla and Jason looked into stores trying to get ideas for what to wear. Suddenly, Kayla stopped in front of a window and stared. "I've thought of the perfect outfits for us, Jason!" she exclaimed.

As they walked down the streets, hand-in-hand, Kayla and Jason looked into stores trying to get ideas for what to wear. Suddenly, Kayla stopped in front of a window and stared. "I've thought of the perfect outfits for us, Jason!" she exclaimed.   
  
She dragged him into the store and started to pick up items and throw them at Jason. "Here, hold these," she called as she tossed more things at him.   
  
"Sure," he laughed at her antics. "But, would you mind telling me what they all are?"   
  
"I will," she answered. "But, later. Let me finish." She continued gathering what she needed for her brilliant idea. When she finally said that she had everything, she pulled Jason, who was laden down with so many parcels that he could barely see, to the checkout counter. The witch behind the counter just smiled at them and collected their money.   
  
They left the store, Jason carrying the two large bags of supplies. "C'mon," Kayla said as she led Jason to a large park. "Let's go sit over there and I will tell you my idea." They sat down on a bench and put the shopping bags on the ground. Jason turned expectantly to Kayla and just raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, well, let's go as vampires!"   
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Well, it will be perfect. My dress robes are all black with just a little green and I just bought a cape that will go with it. So, I will wear my hair down and put some glitter in it. For you, wear black pants and a suit and wear your bluish-black robes as a cape. Then, I found this book in there that has charms to enhance costumes and there is one to make our canine teeth elongated like vampires. Then, I bought a lot of make up and stuff to make us both just a little bit paler and all that. I think I will have to do yours, so you will have to break the tradition of guys getting ready with only 10 minutes to spare. But, where should I do yours? The common room has too many people? How about you just come up to my room? I will ask the girls to get ready in the fourth year room. That will work. What do you think?"   
  
Jason, who had only really heard about half of what she said just nodded mutely. Finally he managed to get out, "Sounds great! How did you think of that so fast?"   
  
"I don't know. I guess I just saw the supplies in that store and I know what robes we bought, so it all just came together."   
  
"You will never cease to amaze me. Well, I guess it is time to meet up with the others. C'mon, let's go." He stood up, and then helped Kayla to stand and then picked up the bags. They made their way to the Three Broomsticks. They walked into the pub and a young witch made her way over to them to give them their drinks. The only thing minors could drink was a butterbeer so they didn't have to order. Kayla carried their drinks as they made their way over to the others in their group.   
  
Once everyone was there, they all wanted to know what Kayla and Jason were going as since they had bought the most stuff. But, no matter how often they were asked, they refused to tell anyone what they were going to go as. The others just sighed but wouldn't say what they were wearing unless Jason and Kayla did.

"Girls, would you mind getting ready in the fourth year dorms?" Kayla asked her roommates as the talk died down.   
  
"Not really," they answered after glancing at each other. "Why?"   
  
"Oh, well, I need to help Jason get ready and it was the only place I could think of to get privacy."   
  
"Sure," they said as they laughed.   
  
Their Ravenclaw boys couldn't miss this opportunity to tease their friends. "So, what exactly are you two going to be doing alone? In a dorm room?"   
  
* * * * * * *   
  
The week flew by and, soon enough, it was Halloween. During classes that day, no one could sit still and each house lost nearly a hundred points for misbehavior. That night, there was no dinner for the school since the ball would include one. For the younger students, there would be house parties in the common rooms where they didn't have to go to sleep until the students at the ball did. It would probably be more fun for them than going to the school wide ball would be for them because of their ages. They would have food and, for the night, the common rooms were magically linked to the Great Hall so that everything that the band played in the hall would also be played in all the common rooms for the benefit of the younger students.   
  
Because of the mini-balls, everyone in the common rooms were rushing around getting ready, especially the girls. Actually, only the girls besides Jason, who was holed up in Kayla's dorm with her. Their friends had all joked about what they were really doing in their alone, but they just smiled and ignored the comments.   
  
In said room, with said couple, Jason was reaching for his outfit to put it on. Kayla saw this and snapped, "What are you doing?"   
  
"Um…I was going to get changed…" he answered uncertainly.   
  
"Not before I put on the make-up." He wrinkled his nose at the word "make-up." "It is just stage make-up, you know," she added, seeing his face.   
  
"So, why can't I change first?"   
  
"Because then it will all get on your clothes, and that would be embarrassing."   
  
"Okay, fine." He allowed himself to be pulled to a chair and pushed into it.   
  
"Close your eyes," she ordered. He did as she was told so he couldn't tell what exactly she was doing to him so he could only pray that she wouldn't do anything that would ruin his manhood. He could feel her putting something on his cheeks and nose. Then his eyes. Then his lips. Finally, she said, "Lean back so I can get your neck." He did so and he could feel he hands applying something to his neck. "Now down." She walked behind him and her hands rubbed up against the back of her neck as she applied the same stuff to that part of his body. She walked back around to his front and put something else on his lips. "Okay, you can open your eyes now. I am done."

He cautiously parted his eyes and she held up a mirror so he could see what he looked like. His skin was very pale, except for his lips, which looked brighter than usual. "I am going to put a charm on this stuff so that it doesn't just brush off or fade. I will also put a shield on it since I know that that works and I've never tried the charm before." She first held out a hand and he could feel her power moving to mingle with the make-up she put on him and settle there. Next, she pulled out her wand and muttered, "Facium Statum."   
  
She walked over to her bed, where she had dumped all of their parcels. She searched around until she found a pair of black gloves. She tossed them at him, "Here, wear these. They will cover your hands since I can't make them white." She pulled out the rest of his clothes and handed them to him. She motioned him to the makeshift changing she had set up in one part of the room for him to use. "Get changed. And try not to muss the make-up."   
  
She sat down to do her own make-up. Kayla pulled her long, black, curly hair with a clip at the back of her head, totally off her shoulders and neck. She started to apply the whitening stuff to her face. She heard Jason come out and stand and watch her in amazement. She looked at him and smiled. "Do you think you could come here and do the back of my neck?"   
  
"Yeah, sure."   
  
He walked over to her and she said, "Just take some in your fingers and rub it into the back of my neck. Try not to get too much in my hair." He did as he was told and finally stepped back. "Thank you," she smiled up at him. She finally finished doing the white layer. She next put on lipstick much brighter than she had ever worn before. She added some silvery eye shadow and black mascara. She looked at herself and nodded, she had finished her face. She mentally created a shield holding it all in place and then took out her wand and repeated the same charm she had used on Jason. She undid her hairclip and separated her hair into one-inch strips. Onto every other strip, she applied some silvery hair glitter that she mentally forced to cling to each strand of hair in their exact stripes. When she was finished, her hair looked very shiny and glittery.   
  
She applied the same shield and charm to her hair and stood up. Without looking at Jason, she picked up her robes and stepped into her changing room. A couple minutes later, she stepped out and looked at her boyfriend. "Wow!" he breathed. "You look awesome, Kayla."   
  
"Thank you," she replied courteously. She grabbed her own gloves off the bed and put them on. She took Jason's robes/cape and secured it around his neck. She picked hers up, but before she could put it around herself, Jason took it out of her hands and did it for her. He leaned down and kissed her gently.   
  
"So," he began. "Do you think it is time to meet the others?"   
  
"Almost," she answered. "I still need to perform that charm for our teeth." She reached down for the book and flipped a few pages. Holding her wand out in front of Jason's face, she said, "Carnivorous Enlargus." He could feel his teeth elongating and forming into sharp points. He would have to remember not to bite his tongue. It would hurt. She performed the same spell for herself. "Now, let's go impress everyone with how good we look," she said as she took his hand and pulled him to the door.   
  
"Slightly conceited there, my dear?" he asked although he went with her to the door and even opened it for her.

As they descended the stairs to the common room, those waiting in the room took a collective gasp.  Everyone stared at them as they walked across the floor to meet up with their friends.  The twins were going as princes and princesses.  But, the girls had broken down and told Kayla, in secret, what they were going as.  On top of their form fitting dress robes, they were wearing long, black, cloak-like apparatuses.  They went to the floor and had sleeves that billowed out from about the elbow.  They were laced in the front and it was possible to see the dress robes under them through the opening.  They had braided their hair loosely and were wearing tiaras on the top of their heads.  The Weasley twins were wearing brown leggings, white shirts, and red vests on top of it all.  At their sides were strapped swords: they were fake, of course.  Tori and Keri, however, were wearing all too real daggers at their sides, and they had a few hidden in other places, just in case.

The other four were just wearing their dress robes.  They looked stunning though.  Hermione had straightened her hair and pulled it into a bun at the top of her head, leaving a few strands to frame her face.  Around the bun she entwined ribbons of silver and light blue that matched her dress robes.  Ginny was wearing navy blue and silver dress robes.  She had left her hair down and curled it.  It looked awesome on her and Harry had to work hard not to stare.  The boys, too, looked nice, but they were wearing normal dress robes.  Harry's were the same green as last year and Ron's were a blue so dark it was almost black.  He cut a really handsome picture with his hair that was so vibrant against the darkness of his robes.  Pranksters they may be, but Fred and George had taste when it came to colors.  After all, they never made pranks that made the victim change colors that clashed with their clothes.  They were considerate in that respect.

Kayla looked around at everyone.  "What are you all staring at?  We don't look bad do we?"

"You worry too much, cousin," Harry replied, jokingly.  "You look great.  I love the teeth especially."

"Oh, well if that is it…Let's go."  Kayla and Jason led the way down to the Great Hall.  Just inside the door, there was a photographer taking pictures of the couples as they walked in the room.  He positioned Jason and Kayla so that they were facing each other.  Kayla's back hand was placed around Jason's waist, and his hand was put around her shoulders.  They were told to look at the camera and open their mouths as if they were going to bite someone.  The photographer took the same picture with two different cameras.  One that he would develop in magical chemicals so that they moved, and the other would be normal developing fluid so it wouldn't move.  They would have the option of which one they wanted to buy.  They could get either, or both.

After their pictures were taken, Kayla and Jason walked over to the table where they would be sitting with the other Gryffindors with them and also Jake and James and their dates.  They sat down and waited for the Hall to fill up.  Within 10 minutes, everyone was in their seats and awaiting Dumbledore to begin the dinner.  When he finally made his entrance, the students began to eat.

Soon, the hired band, the Magical Threesome, began to play.  Kayla immediately jumped up and pulled Jason with her.  "Kayla!  Do I have to dance?" he whined.

"Need I remind you of a certain incident in Russia just a little less than a year ago?" she asked all too sweetly.

"Nope," he grumbled obviously not pleased with her love of dancing.  "Might as well get this over with or there will be another Mikhail Nicholai on our hands here," he muttered so that the musketeers could hear him.  They nodded.

"If you want, we can dance with her later, Jase," offered James.

Jason just raised his eyebrows at them.  "I don't think your dates would like that very much.  Besides, are you going to be up for dancing later?"  They blushed and got the hint to shut up.

As Jason led Kayla to the dance floor, Harry turned to the remaining musketeers.  "Who is Mikhail Nicholai and what happened in Russia a year ago?"

The Americans looked at each other and sighed.  Tori spoke up, "After all of our Quidditch games, the home team hosts an informal dance.  It was after our first game and Jason didn't want to dance.  Kayla walked off and Mikhail Nicholai asked her to dance.  Jason told her not to since he could sense something was wrong, but she did just to show him that she could.  In the middle of the dance, he stabbed her in the back.  Since then, Jason refuses to let anyone besides himself or the bozos, over there, dance with her.  But, everyone knows how much he hates dancing.  He would much rather dance than lose Kayla though."

A few dances later, Jason convinced Kayla to sit down so that he could get them some drinks.  She sighed, but she sat down anyways to wait for him to come back.  While she was waiting, she looked around the room so see what her friends were doing.  As predicted, James and Jake were making out with their girlfriends in a dark corner of the Hall.  The twins were dancing along with Hermione and Ron.  Harry and Ginny were sitting at the table with Kayla, talking.  Every time they stood up to dance, Harry got nasty glares from the Weasley boys, even though they were the reason he asked Ginny.  She was content with just talking with him though.  It was the first time they had actually sat down and talked with each other and it turned out they had a lot in common.

"Here you go," Jason said, handing her a cup of punch.  She barely noticed that he watched her intently as if trying to make sure that she drank the whole thing.  When she finished it, he suggested, "Why don't we go for a walk outside?  No one will mind."

"Sure," she replied, smiling.  "Why not?  Although, I bet you just want to avoid having to dance."

"You caught me," he answered, laughing.  He helped her to stand up and led her out of the hall, one hand around her waist.

A few minutes after they left, Jason walked to the table carrying two cups.  "I'm sorry it took so long, but there was a really long line…" he trailed off when he saw that Kayla wasn't there.  "Kayla?  Kayla!  Where did Kayla go, guys?" he asked Harry and Ginny.

They stared at him as if he lost his mind.  "What do you mean?" Harry wanted to know.  "You just left with her.  You went outside for a walk."

"No, I didn't.  I have been getting drinks…" he trailed off, again, as he figured out what must have happened.  "Oh, no!  This can't be happening!" he cried.  He dropped the drinks and ran out the door.


	17. Danger

****

Chapter 17

Jason led Kayla out of the castle and down to the grounds where there was an empty garden. It was surrounded by trees and was awfully secluded. Kayla thought that it seemed really romantic. They sat down on some flat rocks in the center of the clearing and looked up at the stars. "They are really beautiful," Kayla commented.

"Yeah," Jason agreed as he stroked the side of her face with his fingers. "But not as beautiful as you." Kayla turned and looked at him, slightly startled. Although they were boyfriend and girlfriend, they rarely said things like that to each other. It was unnecessary in their eyes to say things like that since they knew that was what the other thought. They were good friends and usually just talked normally as friends do except they tended to hold hands and kiss occasionally.

Jason leaned in and kissed her on the lips. It felt like Jason so she disregarded all the warnings her body was giving her and fell into the kiss. When he broke away, she whispered, "Watch the teeth. They could hurt." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as he once again pressed his mouth to hers. With one hand, he reached up and untied her cloak and let it fall to the ground. He ran his hands up and down her arms as he began to kiss her with a little bit more passion. Kayla began to think that something was wrong when she could feel his tongue trying to pry her mouth open. _Jason_, she said telepathically to the man in front of her. _Jason, are you feeling okay?_ When she didn't get a reply she got really worried. She tried to push away to no avail. He just pulled her closer. _Jason, stop!_ she cried.

She knew something was wrong. He was acting as if he didn't even hear her. Wait a minutewhat if he didn't? _Jason, help me!_ she sent on a broadcast that he would be sure to hear. Meanwhile, she called in her sword and tried to put some distance between herself and this imposter.

******

Back in the Great Hall, Jason had just dropped the glasses when he heard Kayla's anguished cry. From the stifled gasps of the other musketeers, they had heard it also. _C'mon guys! She needs us! _he practically shouted mentally before taking off to where the thought projection had originated leaving the others to make excuses to their dates. He felt them catch up with him just as he began to get close and slow down. He motioned them all to be silent as they crept into the clearing where Kayla and the imposter were.   
  
Kayla was pressed up against a tree while "Jason" was kissing her. Her dress robes were torn slightly and she was struggling furiously trying to get free. Jason began to wonder why she hadn't just called in her sword when he saw the moonlight glint off of something out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and saw Kayla's sword lying on the ground near the edge of the trees where it had fallen. Kayla noticed them but didn't do anything to alert the person in front of her to their presence. If anything, she grew louder so that any noise they made would be drowned out by her muffled yells.   
  
Jason called in his sword and crept up to them. In one swift motion, he brought his sword up so that it was in between them, resting on his neck. He applied a little pressure, forcing the imposter to step back, as he said in the calmest tone possible, "What exactly do you think you are doing?"   
  
The fake-Jason looked around the clearing before replying, "I _was_ kissing my girlfriend. So if you will just mind your own business" He tried to side step Jason's sword, but he wasn't quick enough.   
  
"Now what?" he asked looking very exasperated. For some reason, the fact that he was faced with the person he was pretending to be didn't phase him one bit.   
  
During this time, Kayla had retrieved her sword using her telekinetic ability. She walked in front of the imposter, careful to keep Jason's sword in front of her. Holding her sword in her left hand at her side she faced her aggressor. "Now, I am only going to ask this once. Who are you? I suggest you answer."   
  
He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Kayla, sweetheart, are you feeling all right? I'm Jason, remember?"   
  
"No, you are not. You are pretending to be. And doing a really bad job of it. Now, you have one last chance to tell me who you really are."   
  
"Honey, let's go see the nurse. If you don't recognize me we have a problem" he never got the chance to continue. Kayla pulled her right arm up and punched him as hard as she could in the jaw. She put her anger behind it and the force caused him to fall over. He laid on his back for a few moments, breathing deeply, his eyes closed.   
  
"Drop the illusion. You may look like Jason, but you sure as hell don't act like him. You could use a few acting lessons." Suddenly, the fake Jason's face began to shimmer and warp. When it solidified, it was into the all-too-familiar sneer of Draco Malfoy.

"I am so sorry that I didn't fool you. Too bad. It was fun while it lasted," he said.   
  
Kayla placed the tip of her sword at his neck and whispered at her deadliest, "You had better drop that illusion by the time I count to ten. I want to see your real face." "Malfoy" stared up at her as if shocked that she knew that he wasn't who he looked like he was. She began to count, slowly, and he lost his surprised look. As she neared ten, her sword began to cut into his neck. He panicked and lost he illusion he was holding in place. When his face solidified for the second time, it was into the menacing grin of Peter Romanov, the Russian seeker.

Kayla drew back, startled. She really hadn't expected him to be the imposter. In fact, she hadn't really remembered this boy who was so rude to her that day last year.   
  
"Surprised to see me?" he asked her. "You never suspected that there was more than one spy in Russia, did you? You thought that Mikhail was the only one? You should be more careful." He sneered at her, but from his position on the ground, it wasn't very frightening. Just annoying.   
  
Jason walked up and put his arm around Kayla's waist, and suddenly she was glad for the support. "Just why are you here?" he snarled down at the form lying in the moss covered ground.   
  
He smiled slightly. "I was sent to find out what I could about Kayla, and if I could to bring her back to My Lord. I figured I might as well have some fun while I was here. If all went well I was to take her with me tonight."   
  
"Why are you telling us this?" Kayla demanded to know. She was suspicious of his reasons. She had a sneaking suspicion that his motives weren't good.   
  
"Because you have been drugged. You will be feeling the effects soon. The only way to get what you need will be to go with me. By withholding the dosages, you're cooperation is ensured. There is no other solution. That is what I meant by if everything went as planned. Things still might."   
  
"No, they won't," said a new voice from the edge of the clearing. Hope followed her voice as she stepped into the light of the moon. "See, I am going to take you into custody. Then, we are going to go to the Hospital Wing, where the headmaster will join us. You will tell us everything and then Kayla will be cured. I don't know what will happen to youbut we will find out." She walked over and stood on the other side of Kayla. "Are you all right?" Kayla nodded, never one removing her gaze from the captive at their feet. "All right, you," Hope told the boy. "On your feet. Let's go, march."   
  
When he stood up, Hope put both mental and physical bonds around his wrists so that he couldn't escape and created a dome-shield over him so he couldn't teleport out. She didn't think that all of these measures were necessary, but she felt that it was better to be safe than sorry.   
  
Jason and Kayla led the way, moving as fast as she could go. As predicted, she started to feel the weakness that came with the withdrawal symptoms. After them, Hope pulled Romanov along, never letting her gaze wander from him so that he would have no chance of escape. Behind them all came the rest of the musketeers, weapons out, on the ready for an attack at any moment.   
  
They moved silently through the deserted halls towards the hospital wing. Everyone was still in the Great Hall enjoying the ball. None of them knew what had happened. They made it to the Hospital Wing without anyone finding them. Jason helped Kayla lay down on one of the beds while Hope secured Romanov better.

10 minutes later, Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the ward and stopped in her tracks when she saw the people in the room. Her eyes looked at everyone. Hope standing over a restrained Peter Romanov who was lying on a bed. Kayla, lying in a bed, practically passed out. Jason, the twins, Jake, and James standing over her, wondering what they could do. Her eyes rested on the prone Kayla. She made her way over to the bed and shooed everyone else away. "I need the light to examine my patient."   
  
"Oh, but Poppy, we know what the problem is," Hope said from her station. Madame Pomfrey directed a curious glance at Hope. "She was drugged by this-" she cursed under her breath for a minute. "We were hoping that if you knew what she was given you might be able to help."   
  
"Yes, well, I think we need Professor Dumbledore here while we do this, Hope."   
  
"Oh, yes, of course. UmJason, would you go get Dumbledore? I think he is still in the Great Hall enjoying the ball. Tell him that it is imperative that he come down here."   
  
Jason looked mutinous. "But I would much prefer if I stayed down here with Kayla!"   
  
"I know you would but Madame Pomfrey doesn't need you hovering around. GO! While there is still time." He still looked angry, but he took off out of the room and ran to the Great Hall. Once inside, he slowed down so that his breath wasn't coming as rapidly.   
  
When he was breathing normally, he looked around the room to see if he could find Dumbledore. "How hard can it be?" he muttered silently to himself. "How many old men with long beards are there?"   
  
Finally, he spotted him talking with Professor McGonogall against one of the walls. He made his way towards them, weaving in and out around the students who were dancing on the makeshift dance-floor in the middle of the room. He neared them and waited where they could see him but he couldn't really hear their conversation. He tried to appear patient but he shifted his wait from foot to foot while waiting for them to finish and turn to him.   
  
After what seemed like forever, Dumbledore turned and motioned him over to them. Jason all but ran over to where they were standing. "Professor," he began before either of the two adults could ask him what he wanted. "Professor Forest would like to see you in the Hospital Wing. She says it is urgent." Jason had decided that he probably shouldn't say what the real reason for the Hospital Wing was until they got out of earshot of anyone who might be listening to them. However Dumbledore looked at him as if he understood exactly what was the problem and just nodded. He gestured Jason to precede him and they both left the hall.

During the long walk to the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore didn't ask any questions, for which Jason was grateful. All Jason wanted to do was get back to where Kayla was. He couldn't imagine what she was going through, but he wanted to be there for her. He knew why he was asked to get Dumbledore. Madame Pomfrey and Hope wanted him to be out of their hair while they examined Kayla and interrogated the imposter. Unknowingly, he quickened his pace so that Dumbledore had to stretch his legs to keep up.

Soon, they reached the door to the Hospital Wing and Jason all but ran inside. "I've got him," he panted as he made his way to the empty chair placed near Kayla's bed. He sat down and picked up her hand. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were closed. Although she didn't show any physical response, Jason felt a wave of love pulse over the bond they shared. He could only smile slightly.

"Poppy, what is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore addressed the nurse.

"I don't have the full story myself, professor," she replied as she continued her examination of Kayla.

"I believe I do," Hope said dryly. 

The prisoner stirred at this. "You know NOTHING about My Lord!" he exclaimed.

Hope just blinked coolly at him. "I think I may know more than you think. And if you don't BE QUIET I will be sending you back to Charles in pieces!" The imposter quieted from a mixture of shock and fear. After glaring at him for a few moments she continued, "I fear that I never told you the entire truth about why I accepted this position. I needed to come to protect Kayla, my daughter. Her father is the long, lost Potter twin, who unfortunately went rogue. You probably didn't know that above our world, in the clouds, there is a palace. In this palace lives a group of very talented people whom monitor the use of gifts, talents, and magic in the world. In a simplified form, they protect the world. Well, Charles intended to take over this operation. I don't know if he succeeded. I left before I could find out. I was pregnant with Kayla at the time. He didn't know. All I do know is that he wants to kill her. At first, when he still didn't know about her, he wanted to kill her cousin, Harry, so he asked his friend Tom to kill him. Now, Tom is still trying to kill Harry, and Charles is trying to kidnap Kayla to find out who she is. Since she was dead set on coming here, I figured it would be best if I came, too. This evening, this PERSON assumed the persona of Jason so he could get close to Kayla and poison her so she would be forced to go with him to Charles. Unfortunately, that plot was disrupted. But, she is still suffering under the effects of withdrawal from the drug she was given."

Suddenly, Kayla let out a blood-curdling scream as her body tensed up all over. The screech seemed to draw out forever, but just as soon as it started, the scream stopped and Kayla's muscles collapsed and she passed from semi-consciousness to the realm of full unconsciousness. The imposter started to laugh as if he found the entire situation very funny. Faster than light, Hope twirled around. She grabbed a fistful of his robes and pulled him into the air. Pressing him against a stone pillar, she called her sword into her free hand. She pulled the blade across his throat.

"You will tell me what you gave her," she ordered in a too calm voice. He just kept laughing. Turning to the boys she continued, "Search his rooms."

Still laughing, he told them, "You don't know where my rooms are." But, unfortunately he couldn't help but thinking of his rooms after Hope mentioned them.

"Now I do," she said after listening in on his thoughts. That shut him up. "I would advise looking closely at the dorms in the Slytherin house. He has been staying there. Under the bed, you will find a small white packet with dried leaves in it. Would you bring it to me please?"

They nodded and ran out of the room, not before asking permission from Dumbledore first though. He granted it and the three boys ran off towards the dungeons to get the packet of herbs that could save their friend. The infirmary was deathly quiet until the racing footsteps were heard echoing back towards the Hospital Wing. In the time they were gone, Hope did not release her hostage and seemed angry enough to fulfill her threat of sending him back to Charles in pieces.

Jason burst into the room, Jake and James hard on his heals. He reached Madame Pomfrey and pressed the packet into her hands. She rushed off and started to fuss around in her makeshift laboratory. Another excruciating 15 minutes of silence, she came back into the room. Madame Pomfrey stormed up in front of the imposter. She was angrier than anyone had ever seen her. Even Dumbledore was taken aback. No one had ever seen her lose her temper this much. Her black eyes snapped as she glared at the imposter. She held up the bag as she demanded to know, "You gave her THIS! Are you completely out of your mind?! Exactly how much did you give her?"

Hope could tell that he wasn't going to tell the near-spitting nurse, so she closed her eyes briefly as she sneaked a peak into his foremost thoughts. "He gave her enough to coat the bottom of her glass," she told the irate nurse.

"WHAT!? You gave her that much!?" she screamed just before she reached up and slapped the imposter across the face, leaving a red handprint behind. "Don't you know what that will do to her!? Did you plan on keeping her alive long enough to talk to your LORD?" She completely lost it there and backhanded him across the other side of his face. "You deserve whatever is coming your way for what you have done! Now, get out of my infirmary and don't you ever, **_EVER_** come back!"

She waited patiently while the others all stared at each other dumbfounded. Finally, Dumbledore spoke up, "I will take him to my office. He will not be able harm me, and he will be out of here. I will secure and leave Fawkes to watch him. I will return shortly."

"One moment, Professor," Hope began. "I need to adjust his memories slightly so he doesn't remember that Kayla is neither my daughter nor Charles'." She didn't wait for his permission before closing her eyes and entering the imposter's mind. She carefully erased all knowledge of Kayla's true parentage from his mind. She needed to make sure that when he escaped from Dumbledore's office, which she knew he would, that he would carry no knowledge about who Kayla's parents were. Soon enough, she finished and lowered him to the ground. She gave him into the custody of the Hogwart's Headmaster. Once they left, she disappeared her blade and took up a position of defense at Kayla's bedside.


	18. Dates

****

A/N: I don't usually write these on this ff, but I realized that when I uploaded each chapter, the way I did it stripped each chapter of the type settings. For instance, what was supposed to be in Italics. In case you didn't figure it out, whenever Kayla and the Musketeers talk to each other telepathically, it is supposed to be in Italics. I will go back and fix it eventually, but not all of the chapters are saved on the computer I am on. While I am typing, I would like to thank everyone who has read this and reviewed. I really appreciate it.

That said, on with the story! 

Chapter 18

The remaining people in the infirmary just stared out the door after Dumbledore. Madame Pomfrey could be heard slamming around jars in the next room. Hope looked from her daughter to the medical lab where Poppy was. She finally ended her internal struggle and went to help the irate nurse. The students all looked at each other, shrugged, and returned to their vigil of watching Kayla.

As she walked into the lab, Hope could sense that Poppy was angrier than she had ever been before. She was controlling herself when she slapped the imposter. Hope stifled a groan. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. She walked over to the nurse and put a hand on her shoulder as she whispered quietly, "Need any help?"

Poppy gave a muffled scream and dropped the test tube she was holding which then hit the floor and shattered. She turned her flashing eyes on Hope. "Don't do that," she hissed. "You nearly scared me to death." Hope looked repentant, as the nurse demanded to know, "Do you know what he gave her, Hope?"

"No," she replied. "What did he give her?"

"That little-" here the nurse broke off into words that no one even knew that she knew "-gave her a seriously addictive drug. It is used in small amounts for medicinal purposes as a narcotic, which is how I knew what it was. In a large enough amount, even one dose can addict or even kill the consumer. Well, let's just say he gave her enough of it to put a small elephant to sleep."

Hope glanced nervously back at her daughter. "Will she be all right?" she asked hesitantly.

Poppy didn't even look up as she answered. "I hope so." She continued mixing around various potions during the ensuing silence. After a few minutes, she stood up. "It is a good thing there is a magic in the world, or she would be in major trouble. I think I will be able to counter-act the effects of the drug with this," she mentioned as she held up a test tube full of a green slime-colored potion. "Better go give it to her."

The two women left the lab together to give it to the unconscious student lying in a bed surrounded by her 5 closest friends. Poppy walked over to Kayla and used her fingers to open her mouth. She poured the liquid (if it could be called a liquid) down her throat. The nurse turned to the other students in the room, "This should be able to negate any lasting effects. But it is not perfect. I cannot predict exactly what will happen, but, most likely, she will not be entirely sane for a few days. She will not be responsible for what she says and does, and she is unlikely to remember any of it. She will most likely sleep for a while, so I would advise going up to bed, now. Kayla will probably not be up for long visits, so when you do come back, try to keep it short. I will keep you notified of her progress."

The 5 Hogwarts students all stood up and with a final glance back at their friend, they filed out the door and headed back to their dormitories. The subdued trio told the fat lady the password ("Dragon's Breath") and she swung forward to reveal a very loud group of people. Even the older students had returned from their ball and the younger students finished theirs, everyone had gotten together in the common room to talk, and stuff. They looked at each other and grimaced.

Jason turned to look at them. "I am just going to bed," he said sorrowfully. "I can't deal with this right now. I will see you two tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay," they said before heading to their own staircase. "We will go see Kayla in the morning." They could just barely see him nod.

Jason walked up to his dormitory and stood in front of the window and looked out at the forest. He could just barely see a bright white unicorn with her young foal drinking from a pool of water. They looked so innocent. It was hard to remember all the bad in the world when he was looking at them. Jason was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear anyone walk into the room. The unknown person walked up behind him and put his hand on Jason's shoulder before Jason noticed him. Startled, Jason jumped and spun around to glare at the intruder upon his thoughts.

"Don't do that," he snapped. Both the redheaded and black haired boys looked slightly sheepish.

"Sorry," Ron mumbled. "We thought you heard us come in."

"We just wanted to know if you were all right. You left the Great Hall awful quickly," Harry added.

"Yeah. And my brothers mentioned something about you and the others needing to go help Kayla."

Jason sighed and looked at both of them. "Kayla was attacked by someone impersonating me. She is in the hospital recovering from some drug the bastard gave her. But don't let me ruin your evening by messaged of gloom and doom." He gave a fake smile. "So, how were your dates?" He then smirked because he saw signs on both of their faces that they had done something slightly more interesting than just danced. The blushes that crept into their faces confirmed those suspicions. He didn't want to embarrass either of them by making them talk about it, so he mentally brushed up against their outermost thoughts to find out exactly what happened.

__

Harry and Ginny watched Jason race out the doors in confusion. They sat in silence and watched the other musketeers separate themselves from their dates and run out the doors after Jason. Harry slowly turned to Ginny, "What was that about?" he asked her.

"I have no clue," she replied. The Weasley twins sat down on the other side of the table. They heaved a collective sigh and laid their heads on their arms on the tables. Ginny looked over at them and started to giggle. When Harry looked at her questioningly she just started to laugh harder. When she finally got herself under control, she just barely managed to choke out, "They got it ba-ad!" before laughing again. This time, Harry joined in.

They laughed together for a while until George looked up and glared at them. "Would you two kindly be quiet and let us wallow?"

This just set them off again. They were laughing so hard they had to lean on each other in order to remain seated in their chairs. Fred looked up and joined his brother in glaring at them. "Better yet, just leave. Go somewhere else. Leave us alone to sulk."

Harry and Ginny stopped laughing for a moment at the serious tone of voice the twins were using. Then they looked at each other and lost it again. As the twins glared at them, they stood up and walked off to an empty table in the farthest corner of the hall. They passed Ron and Hermione, but the two of them were too absorbed in each other to notice.

They had finally stopped laughing (for good this time) by the time they sat down at their new table. Harry suddenly looked at Ginny. "I am really glad I asked you to come with me tonight, Ginny. I have had a lot of fun with you."

Ginny blushed as she smiled at Harry. "I am having a lot of fun, too. You know, it is weird. Even though you have spent practically every summer break at my house and I have lived with you since my first year, we really haven't had that much time to talk. I never realized that we were so much alike. I mean, we both hate Snape-"

"Who doesn't?" Harry muttered.

Ginny glared at him before continuing, "Trelawny predicted that both of us would come to tragic ends. And you can't forget that Voldemort tried to kill both of us."

"Not to mention that both of us say His name. But I guess that since we both have had encounters with him we are entitled to. But we have our differences, too. I mean, I am an orphan but you are overwhelmed by relatives. Not that I mind"

Ginny sighed. "Sometimes I would give to be an only child. Or at least have a sister. So many older brothers are a little daunting. Especially to my male friends. Even if they don't want anything but friendship, my brothers automatically assume that they want something more and scare them off. Highly annoying, let me tell you. I am actually surprised you asked me. I was sure I wouldn't since they can be a little overbearing at times."

Harry suddenly had an epiphany. "I am going to kill them!"

"Why? For being over protective? While I admit it is annoying, it is hardly worth killing them for."

"No, not that. They set me up with you. I had just forced the twins into asking Tori and Keri and they came over and fed me this sob story about wanting me to be with you since they wanted me to be officially in the family. I thought they meant it. And, I wanted to ask you, but I wasn't going to until they told me to. I should have known better. All this time they were planning on letting me be all night and then they were going to go all "overprotective brother" mode on me. How low do you get?"

Ginny, emboldened by the fact that she was tired therefore not thinking clearly, and the fact that she was tired of waiting for things to happen, leaned in towards Harry so she could whisper in his ear, "Why don't we give them something to really gripe about then?" Harry pulled back so he could see her clearly. Then he smiled. He stood up and held out his hand to her. Laughing, he led her out onto the dance floor where he put his arms around her waist and pulled her so close to him that their bodies touched. She put her arms around his neck as she leaned back so she could look him in the eyes, smiling. Then she laid her head on his chest and sighed in contentment. Above her head, Harry smiled to himself and wondered how it was that he had never realized Ginny was this special and wouldn't have if he had never heard her conversation with Jason. He would have to remember to thank the American later.

Four dances later, they were still dancing like that when the band announced that it was the last song of the night. Harry looked down at the red hair pressed against his chest. "Ginny," he murmured. "Thank you for coming with me. I really enjoyed getting to know you better."

She looked back at him. "Me, too," she agreed. Before she could help himself, he leaned down and kissed her. "Let's hope my brothers didn't see that."

"Hey, they are the ones who told me they wanted me to be a part of the family. They get to live with the consequences."

"I like that plan," she muttered into his neck as she turned her head so that he could kiss her again.

After the song ended, they couldn't find the others so he led her up to the common room. They parted at the staircases leading to the girls' dormitory. "Good-night," he said as he kissed her again. He waited until she disappeared around the bend before walking up the stairs leading to his own dormitory. He heard someone walk up the stairs behind him to see who it was. He waited for Ron to catch up before continuing on to their room.

Jason smiled slightly because he hadn't known that Harry had heard that conversation. But he was glad. At least Ginny got what she wanted and Harry realized what he wanted. It felt good to make other people happy. Jason turned his mind to Ron's thoughts

__

Ron and Hermione were so wrapped up in their own little world that they didn't even notice the five students racing out of the hall. They had been with each other all night and they still weren't arguing with each other. In fact, they actually seemed happy to be with the other.

"Thanks for asking me, Ron," Hermione said.

"It was really no problem. I didn't want to go through the trouble of finding another date, and you weren't even going to come. So, are you having a good time?"

"Yes," she replied somewhat shyly. "Are you?"

"I always have fun with you. When we aren't arguing," he quickly amended as she giggled softly. This itself was weird: Hermione NEVER giggled. She was too mature to giggle.

"Yeah, me, too," she told him as she leaned on his chest. It seemed to be the night of strange talk since she soon continued by saying, "You know, I am sorry if I hurt you last year by going to the Yule Ball with Viktor. He just asked first and I didn't think anyone else would ask me, so I said yes."

"I understand. It was just thatI don't know. It was more than the fact that you were going with someone else. More than the fact that you were going with Krum. It was that I guess, I wanted to go with you." He started to blush.

"I think I was so annoyed with you because I wanted to go with you but I couldn't because I had already agreed to go with Viktor because I didn't think you would ask."

"Right, so now that we have that cleared up, I have one more confession to make. I know we are best friends and all that, but I have liked you since I met you even though I wasn't very nice. But I didn't know how to act, so I was mean. And then, when we were friends, I tried to pretend there was nothing between us but friendship, but when I saw you with Krum I just snapped. I couldn't believe that you would like someone who you barely know more than me, who you have known since our first year."

Hermione looked a little taken-aback. She slowly raised her hand and rested it on the side of his face. "I have always liked you, too. I just never knew how to tell you. That is why what you said to me first year made me so upset."

"Look at us: a pair of to love-struck fools who can't manage to tell each other that we like each other."

She looked right into his eyes. "Ron, I am very much in love with you. There is a reason why I never got too serious with Viktor. You are the reason."

"You do not know what it means to me to hear that. If it means anything to you, I am as much in love with you as you are with me. If not more." He grinned evilly at her. She tried to back away, suspicious, but he wouldn't let her move. She started to squirm as he laughed. She glared at him. He just smiled broader at her. He finally leaned down and kissed her. He then laughed at her shocked expression. "What?" he asked defensive. "We just poured our hearts out and you expected me NOT to kiss you? You should have more faith in me, woman."

Hermione laughed. "Maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about us yet."

"Why not?" Ron asked, hurt.

"It's not that I don't want everyone to know about us, it is just I don't want to upset Harry. I don't want him to feel left out" she trailed off as she saw something over Ron's shoulder. "Never mind," she said quickly. "He would probably rather us not keep secrets from him."

"What do you see?" Ron asked. He tried to look over his shoulder, but Hermione grabbed his face and wouldn't let him look. Harry owed her for not letting Ron see him with the youngest Weasley. Especially if they were kissing. It wouldn't matter that Ron and Hermione just did the same thing. It was Harry and Ron's baby sister. Ron seemed about to ask her something when the band announced that the ball was over and that everyone was to return to his or her common rooms. When she looked again, Harry and Ginny were gone. Hermione figured that they had already went up to the tower. She dragged Ron behind her as she did the same.

When they got up to the common room, she saw Harry and Ginny kissing again so she had to drag Ron into a shadowy corner to kiss him until Harry and Ginny parted. She said goodnight to Ron and followed Ginny up the staircase. She could sense Ron standing and watching her for a moment before following Harry up to his own dormitory.

Ron met Harry on the stairs and they entered their room together.

Jason knew that Ron still didn't know what Harry did with Ginny. Jason would keep the secret, but he should let Harry know he knew. He smirked. "Your welcome, Harry."

"For what?" Harry asked. Jason just smirked. "Oh. OOOOOHHH. Right. Let's go to bed guys. See you in the morning."

They all changed into their pajamas and climbed into their beds. As soon as Jason lied down, he remembered what he had been trying to forget. Kayla was in the infirmary. He stared at the top of his four-poster bed for a long time. Long enough for the rest of the boys to return. Long enough for them to get changed and go to bed. Long enough for him to hear the snores of 5 boys fill the room. Yet, Jason still just lay there. He couldn't stand not being able to do anything to help Kayla. Every time he closed his eyes he all he could see was Kayla lying in the hospital bed. Finally, he could stand it no longer.

Jason quietly stood up and walked out of the dormitory. Outside the door, he placed a sight-shield over himself. This was as good as an invisibility cloak, but better. No one would be able to see him, and there was no chance that anything would catch on a cloak and reveal him. He quickly but quietly ran through the corridors, his bare feet making slight slapping noises as they hit the ground. He stopped before the door to the hospital wing. He hoped that Madame Pomfrey was asleep.

Jason opened the door and walked over to Kayla's bedside. He brushed her hair off of her face and grabbed her hand. "Oh, Kayla," he murmured. "What have you ever done to deserve this?"

Suddenly, Kayla's eyes flew open. She looked at Jason, her eyes looking panicked. She snatched her hand away from his. Regardless of how she was physically, she clambered out of the bed and stood braced against the bed next to hers. "Kayla, what is wrong?" Jason asked her as he walked towards her.

She scrambled farther away from him and put another bed in between them. "Stay away from me!" she almost screamed.

"Why?"

"You did this to me! I don't need you being near me if you are going to hurt me again. Just stay away from me. Please just leave me alone," she begged.

"I didn't do this to you, Kayla!"

"Yes you did. You gave me the drug. You poisoned me!"

"Is that what you think?"

"That is what I know!" she exclaimed.

Jason turned away so that she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes. "Kayla I am sorry you feel that way, but I assure you that I love you."

"Get out now!" Footsteps sounded outside the door leading to the nurse's suite. Jason placed the sight-shield over himself again. He headed to the door and quickly opened it enough so that he could slip out. He was easing the door shut when he heard the nurse ask Kayla if everything was all right, she heard screams. Kayla replied that she was fine, must have been having a bad dream and started to walk in her sleep. That was all Jason heard. He shut the door silently and walked forlornly back to Gryffindor Tower. He let the sight-shield fall so he could get back in, but the Fat Lady was too tired to say anything. He slipped back into his room and climbed back into bed. He closed the drapes around his bed so that no one would see the tears falling down his face. He let the tears fall silently as eventually cried himself to sleep.


	19. The Talk

**A/N: I would just like to thank whoever has reviewed this ficcy.  I realized recently that because of the way I was saving and uploading, none of the stuff I thought was in bold or italics was.  So, I am going back and reposting it all.  If you want to see it the way it was originally, check it out.  I will also add a major author's note at the very beginning that you might want to read.  Thanks again.  Don't forget to tell me what you think, and be honest.**

**Chapter 19**   
  
The next day, Jason awoke before anyone in the rest of his dorm. He wanted to be alone for a while, so he quietly snuck out. He took a shower, got changed, and went down to the common room to sit in front of the fire. He stared into the flames and ignored the flames running down his face. The whole morning, he couldn't think of anything but Her and Her hurtful words. He knew that she probably didn't mean any of it, that it was the drug talking. He hoped. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt.   
  
He suddenly called in his sketchpad and drawing pencil. He didn't pay attention to what he was doing, really. He just wanted to think about something else. Someone else. He finished the drawing before looking at it. Yeah, he saw what he was drawing, but I mean really looked at it for the first time. When he did, he through the pad and pencil across the room, stopping them with a thought just before they hit the wall and crumpled the pages. He just left it there, motionless. He glared at the picture staring at him, mocking him, as he wrapped his arms around his knees. He let his tears begin to fall. Keep falling. They had been the entire time.   
  
He began to rock back and forth as he cried softly, "Why can't you leave me alone?" He didn't get an answer. He didn't expect one though.   
  
He didn't know how long he just sat there before he heard quiet footsteps pad across the floor and stop right behind him. A quiet voice asked him, "Jason, are you all right?"   
  
He glanced over his shoulder at Ginny before replying, "No, Ginny, not really." She took that as an invitation to walk around the couch and sit down next to him. She put her arm around her shoulder and just let him cry himself out. When he was done, he dried his eyes and looked at her. "Thanks."   
  
"No problem. I figured that you helped me out with Harry; I might as well help you now. One good turn deserves another and that sort of thing." She glanced over at the still-motionless sketchpad. "Care to tell me what that was all about?" she asked as she stood up to see the images better. (The only light in the common room was the fire so it was hard to see the picture from where they were.) She stopped right in front of it. Ginny looked at the drawing and then back at Jason, and then back. "Oh," she said.

Jason just snarled. "I see," she added. The drawing was of Kayla, in exquisite detail. If she didn't know better, she would have said it was a photograph. But she knew it was a drawing. And it had something to do with Jason's mood. More than just that Kayla was in the infirmary. Something happened between the two of them. "You didn't go back to the infirmary, did you Jason?" Jason's disbelieving face was guilty enough evidence that he had done exactly that. "You know there was a reason Madame Pompfrey kicked you out," Ginny explained patiently. "Well, she doesn't always have a good reason, but that is neither here nor there," she added waving her hand flippantly. "She is a nurse. She knew that the drug would make Kayla do unreasonable things. Whatever Kayla said to you, she didn't mean. You know that, so why are you throwing a bloody temper tantrum?"   
  
He flinched at her tone but answered her anyways. "Because it still hurt, dammit! I wouldn't ever hurt her and she said I did!" That said, he collapsed back onto the couch and waited for Ginny to blow up at him again.

Ginny stared at him for a moment.  She slowly licked her lips as she thought of an answer that wouldn't upset him.  "Why did you go down to the Hospital Wing if you knew she was going to say something to hurt you?" she asked slowly.

"Because her image was haunting me.  She was all I saw when I closed my eyes.  She was all I could think about.  I needed to make sure she was all right.  I didn't really think.  It was as if my body was in the infirmary before my mind could stop it.  It was truly stupid and I shouldn't have gone, but I couldn't stop myself."

"It was stupid.  But you obviously learned not to do it again."  Her eyes glinted.  "So, let's talk about something else.  Unless you want everyone knowing when they come downstairs in a few moments.  I would also advise looking less like you were crying.  Wouldn't want to be teased or anything."  She quickly whipped her wand out of her pocket and said a muttered spell.  A spray of water hit him square in the face.  As he sputtered, he looked daggers at her.  "What," she asked innocently.  "Cold water makes the redness go away."

"Not funny," Jason grumbled as she charmed his clothes clean again in a peace offering.  But, he wasn't done yet.  He used his skills from back home to hurtle pillows at her.  She retaliated by throwing more spells at him.  He soon became weary of holding his own with just pillows, and, so, he, too, called in his wand.  They were still hurling spells at each other when the others all came downstairs to inspect the racket that they were making.

They all stood in a group and watched the two battle it out.  Harry had an odd look on his face, but the three Weasley brothers couldn't figure out why.  The Weasley twins were the first to comment on this odd behavior they exhibited.  "Are you going to tell us that you had a prank war and didn't tell us?" George commented in a mock insulted tone.

"Well, it was sort of spur-of-the-moment," Jason commented wryly as he ducked behind a couch for protection.  "Feel free to join in though."  It took no more invitation for them all to join in the fray and began to throw spells of their own.  Hermione tried to back out by saying that it wasn't proper for prefects to be doing that sort of thing, but when a stray charm turned her hair green she couldn't help but retaliate.  Somehow during t he melee, Jason and Ginny got tossed out near the common room portal.  They looked at each other and came to the same decision: leave before the head girl came down and gave them all detentions.  The backed slowly out of the portrait hole, so as no one would notice them slipping away.  As soon as the hole opened, they sprinted out and ran towards the Great Hall, reversing the effects of the spells and charms on each other as they went.

They slowed down as they reached the large doors so that none of the teachers would comment.  They were lucky they hadn't met anyone in the corridors, but that might have had something to do with the fact that Jason was shielding them against being found.  They walked into the hall and headed for the part of the Gryffindor table and began to eat their food.  Ten minutes later, 7 irate Gryffindors stormed into the Great Hall and took their seats next to Ginny and Jason.

"Thanks for leaving us, guys," Ron growled as he took a roll.  "Ariella came down.  She broke up our little "war" as she called it because it set a bad influence on the younger students.  She wanted to know who started it.  We said you did, but by that point, you had already disappeared.  She gave us all detentions for trying to incriminate you two."  

Ginny and Jason turned towards each other and hit high fives.  "Nice work," she commented to her cohort in crime.  "We had fun, and we didn't get busted."  Harry looked on slightly jealous.  He was sitting across from Ginny and next to Ron.  He didn't dare show any emotion towards her because three of her overprotective brothers were right there.  Besides, they had decided to keep their relationship a secret from them for a while.

The rest of the meal continued on in peace until Tori asked, "Did you want to go visit Kayla later?"

Ginny glanced at Jason, worried.  She knew he didn't want anyone else to know what had happened.  She hoped he played it cool.  "Sure," he replied, as he normally would have.  But, Ginny noticed a slightly panicked look in his eyes.  He looked pleadingly at her.

She understood what he wanted.  "Do you think it would be okay for the rest of us to go, too?"  Tori and Keri just looked at each other and shrugged.  Jason nodded.  "Okay.  We'll all go see how she is doing.  It is not like she isn't our friend also."

Harry looked askance at his unofficial girlfriend.  He could tell something was wrong.  She was hiding something.  "What is th-" he began to say.  It was all he managed to get out before Ginny kicked his leg under the table and glared at him discretely.  He took the hint and shut up.  But he looked her in the eye and mouthed one word: "later."  Ginny sighed.  He would expect an explanation later.  Well, she would have until "later" to come up with a nondescript lie that would satisfy him.

It was a Saturday so that when they finished eating, they could go to the Hospital Wing.  On their way out, Tori stopped by where James and Jake were sitting.  She told them where they were going.  The two American Ravenclaws stood up and joined the gang.

They all trudged down to the infirmary where they were lucky to be admitted by Madame Pompfrey.  As they filed in and sat on various beds in the room, her visitors asked Kayla how she felt and she responded that she was fine.  She avoided Jason's eyes.  This one gesture told Jason that she remembered what had happened the night before, and was embarrassed about it.  She wouldn't have avoided his gaze if she either didn't remember or wasn't embarrassed.

While everyone began to question Kayla as to how she was feeling, Jason just sat there quietly.  They all thought this was weird, but figured that he was worried about her and either was trying to decide for himself if she was okay, or was asking her telepathically.  Only Ginny knew what was most likely going on, so she kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Jason stared resolutely at the floor at a point where it was perpendicular to a nearby hospital bed.  He had no intention of talking to Her (verbally or otherwise), but those plans fell through when she mindspoke him.  For the first time since they started developing their powers, Jason wished he was able to block her out.  He did not feel up to discussing anything with her at the moment.

_Jason, _she called tentatively.  _I am really sorry about what happened last night.  I swear I didn't mean any of it.  I couldn't help it.  The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them._

_I understand, _he replied emotionlessly.

"Why are you still angry at me then?" she shouted aloud.  In her frustration, she forgot that their conversation was a private one.  But, she didn't care.  She was too caught up in the moment.  She struggled against the blankets around her to sit up, her face flushed with anger and her eyes glinting emerald.

Jason jumped up and shouted back, "Because understanding is different than forgiving."

"What?!" Kayla exclaimed, shocked out of her anger momentarily.

"I understand that you had no control over what you said, but it still hurt, dammit!" he responded in a deadly calm voice while the other nine students stood on in confusion, except for Ginny, who, unfortunately, knew what was going on.

"You didn't have to come down," Kayla pointed out logically.

"From the moment we left, all I could think about was you.  While I was away from you, I found it difficult to convince myself that you were okay.  What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't follow up on those instincts?"  Even though they didn't know the entire reason for the argument breaking out in front of them, the students were all impressed by the emotion in Jason's voice.

"How can you make me the bad guy in this situation?" Kayla cried plaintively.  "How can you hold me at fault for something I had no control over?"

"Because understanding is different than forgiving," he replied simply before turning and storming out of the Hospital Wing.  Kayla stared at the spot where he had been before falling back against her pillows.  She turned away from her guests and started to cry silently.  Her shaking shoulders the only sign of the sobs that wracked her body.

Jake watched Kayla's shaking form for a few moments before following Jason, running to catch up with him.  Jason showed no signs of noticing his pursuer.  Jake caught up with him in the entrance hall by reaching out and grabbing Jason's shoulder to stop him.  Jason turned slowly to look his friend in the eye.

"What was that back there, Jase?" Jake asked as they stood in the center of the giant stone hall.  "I have never seen you lose your temper so completely, before.  Especially not with Kayla."

"You wouldn't get it," Jason replied simply.

"Try me."

"No," Jason responded before brushing the other's hand off of his shoulder.  "Tell everyone I will be back soon.  I need to get out of here."  That said, Jason disappeared, leaving Jake alone in the hall.  Jake cursed under his breath for a minute before returning to Kayla's bedside.

*                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *          

Jason reappeared outside of a quaint little house.  It was blue with a brown roof and a flat driveway.  He looked up at the sun.  It was after 4 in the afternoon so he thought it would be okay to knock on the door.  After he teleported out of Hogwarts, he showed up in the very spot he was standing in now, the one place where he was always welcome, no matter the circumstances, but realized that with the time difference, it was only 3 AM.  So, he teleported to a nearby park to think things through.

He walked up to the pristine white door.  With only a slight trepidation, he raised his hand and wrapped on the door, sharply, three times.  Jason stepped back and waited for it to open.  A middle-aged woman with slightly graying hair opened the door.  "Jason!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.  "I've not seen you in forever.  Why don't you come on in?  I'll go and get Kyle from upstairs."  Jason followed his best-friend's mother inside and sat down at a chair at their kitchen table.  Soon, loud, clomping footsteps could be heart clattering down the stairs.  A second later, Kyle's head appeared in the doorway.  His face broke into a huge grin as he let out a whoop of joy.  He sauntered in and took a seat opposite Jason and helped himself to the cookies his mother had just finished baking.

After silently eating two of them, he looked up at Jason.  "I've not seen you in a while, man.  How is school this year?"

Jason considered something for a moment.  It was the same internal struggle he had been arguing with himself over all morning.  Finally, he slowly replied, "If I told you something that was absolutely secret, would you listen, believe, and swear not to tell?"

Kyle looked slightly startled by this odd request but decided to make light of it, as per his personality.  "What is it?  That you are part of the mafia?  Or, maybe a gang?"

"Kyle, I am completely and utterly serious."

"Okay.  I promise.  Now, what is it?"

Jason rolled his eyes as he stood up from the table.  He walked around it and pulled Kyle out of his chair by the arm.  "C'mon, let's go.  I can't tell you here.  Take a cookie for the road, kid, we're going to the park where we can talk in private."  Kyle just barely managed to grab two cookies off of the plate before he was dragged bodily out of the house.  They shouted a quick "good-bye" to Mrs. Ramon as the door slammed shut behind them.

They walked to the same park Jason was sitting in earlier.  They sat down on one of the benches.  Jason decided to just get it all out into the open.  "What would you say if I told you that Bridgeton wasn't exactly what you thought it was?" he began, somewhat nervously.  What he was about to tell Kyle would test how good a friend the latter was.  If he believed it and accepted it, Jason would know that Kyle was one of the best people in the world.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked warily. _Okay, _Jason thought to himself.  _I can deal with wariness.  I have got to admit that I am being awfully mysterious.  But, maybe if I show first and then explain he would be more inclined to believe me…_  Before Kyle could react, Jason reached out one hand and grabbed his friend's shoulder.  Jason closed his eyes for a second and, Kyle felt as if the world around him was swirling together.  When it righted itself, Kyle found himself in a giant park.  Not the same one they were just in though.  He slowly turned in a circle to see if he could figure out where he was.  Jason didn't look at all surprised to be there but was watching Kyle closely as if to figure out his reaction.

Kyle licked his lips.  "Jason, where are we, and how did we get here?"

"This is part of what I wanted to tell you," Jason sighed.  "It is called teleportation.  At Bridgeton, our real subjects teach us how to do it, telepathy, healing, telekinesis, and other gifts like it.  This year, we are studying in England on an exchange program.  Which is where we are, by the way: Hyde Park, London, England."  Jason had been watching Kyle's expression closely.  What he saw relieved him.  Not a trace of doubt.  This was a good thing.  If he couldn't convince Kyle, Jason would be forced to use his powers to alter his best friend's memories so that he only remembered going to the park with Jason and talking about school (normal school, that is).  Kyle just stared at Jason blankly.  After a few moments, Jason began to sweat nervously.  "Kyle?  Say something, please."

"Okay…was this all you wanted to tell me?  Or was there something more?"

"There is more.  Well, it turns out that Kayla is descended from a line with very strong gifts, on both sides.  She will be the strongest in the world one day and will eventually become the world's protector.  Unfortunately, the current protector is using his powers the wrong way.  He doesn't want to give over to her when she comes into his full power so he is trying to kill her because of this."  Jason thought it would be best not to say that this someone was her father.  Someone could be listening.  "So, because of this, she was attacked last night.  Not the first time, but he worst.  Someone, impersonating me I might add, poisoned her.  The nurse was able to neutralize the effects of the drug on her body, but not effortlessly.  Kayla became irrational and had a tendency to say things she didn't mean, including that I hurt her."

"Oh, I see where this is going.  You need girl advice.  You just listen to old Kyle for he will show you the right path.  Let me guess, you got into a huge fight earlier about why you were angry with her."  During this speech, Jason started to look startled.  He looked down at the last, signaling that Kyle was in the bull's-eye.  Kyle narrowed his eyes at his friend.  "What did you say?"

Jason blushed slightly as he mumbled, "That understanding is different than forgiving."

"What did you understand?  Why she said what she did?"  Jason nodded.  "Why won't you forgive her then?"

"Because I am so f-ing angry!"

Kyle looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Hmmm…" he finally murmured.

"'Hmmm…' what?"

"Oh, just that I don't think you are angry at her."

"Whom the hell else could I be mad at?"

"Yourself," Kyle told Jason simply.  "I think you are angry at yourself."

"Why would I be angry at myself?"

"Because you let it happen.  You are worried that you might hurt her again and, you can't stand the thought.  You think that if you had been with her you wouldn't have let it happen.  Your subconscious is telling you to keep away from her and she won't get hurt because of you."

"All right, that makes sense."

"Jason, you are being selfish," Kyle practically shouted, trying to knock some sense into his thickheaded friend.  "You think that if you leave her alone you won't be the cause of any more pain to her?  Did you ever think that by staying away from her, you are causing her pain?  You just thought that it would only hurt you if you stay away from her!  That is totally selfish!"  Kyle stopped for breath and glared his friend down.  "Forgive her already.  Forgive her and things will quickly return to normal.  It would also help if you talked things over with her.  You crushed on her for to long to let her go when you finally have her to yourself."  Jason nodded.  Kyle slapped him on the back.  "Glad that is cleared up.  While we are here, do you want to take me to a nice fish and chips restaurant?"  Jason laughed as the two boys left the park and went to get lunch.  Jason called in his wallet, he had some pounds in there, he thinks.  If not, well, he always has a credit card.  Neither of them noticed a lithe form jump down from a tree and begin to follow them at a discreet distance.


	20. Disappearance

**A/N: I had come across a serious state of writer's block when a new reviewer happened across my ficcy. He (or she) reviewed this story 3 times and was the first to review a filk poem that I also have posted on ff.net. So, let's all give a big thanks to **Fireblade** who inspired me to keep on writing because there were still people out there who thought this worth reading. I would also like to remind anyone who reviews anonymously to leave their email address (unless you know I have it). I like to write an email thanking you and I can't do that without your addy.  
  
And one final note: this chapter is dedicated to my good friend Lizzie who has been through a lot this year and still has the strength to go on. This goes out to her, that, wherever she is, she eventually finds the happiness she so richly deserves.  
  
Chapter 20**  
  
As soon as Jason disappeared, Jake cursed under his breath as he turned around and started back towards the Hospital Wing. Inside, the students had been replaced by Hope. Apparently, she had come down whilst he was off following Jason and had told everybody else to leave since there was nothing else they could do. She was sitting on a chair, looking at her daughter. Jake walked up behind her and cleared his throat to get her attention. She whirled around, a question in her eyes.  
  
"I just thought you might like to know that Jason has disappeared," he told her quietly.  
  
"What do you mean disappeared?" she asked suspiciously. "As in vanished without a trace been kidnapped, disappeared, or something else?"  
  
"The latter. He told me to tell everyone that he would be back soon and not to worry. Then, he teleported out. I was too startled to read his thoughts, and I don't know how to do it now."  
  
"Don't worry, lad, I will handle it. You go and spend time with the others." Without another word, she walked out and headed up to the entrance hall. The teenagers hadn't learned, yet, that it was possible to read teleportation traces of a specific person and to follow them. Everyone had a different trace, but it was possible to mask it. However, Jason didn't even know they existed yet, so he wouldn't be able to hide them. It just depended on recognizing which one you wanted and sorting it out from past teleportations. Hope was pretty sure that Jason hadn't been doing too much teleportation this year so she might be able to track him down.  
  
It didn't take long for her to track down his first stop, but from there it became difficult. He had first transported to their hometown, but since he had teleported a lot there, previously, it took a while for Hope to determine which was the most recent one. Once she did, she groaned, she would have to make a transcontinental jump again. If only I got frequent flyer miles for teleportation, she thought. Hope finally tracked him down and hid in a tree to avoid notice. She listened to his conversation with Kyle and totally approved of this Kyle person. When they walked off, she dropped down and followed at a discreet distance. She realized when Jason knew she was there. He stiffened and pulled Kyle into an alley. She kept back and let him leave. No use in startling him into something rash. When Hope finally made it over to where he disappeared from, she realized her mistake. Somehow, he had figured out how to blur his trace so that she couldn't tell where he was going. "Damn," she muttered. Deciding that there was nothing else she could do now, she decided to do some shopping for her class in Diagon Alley. She walked away, figuring Jason would be fine.  
  
* * * * * * Jason and Kyle were laughing and having a good time as they walked around Piccadilly Circus, London. Suddenly, Jason sensed something on the fringes of his awareness. He stiffened and stood upright. Kyle looked askance at his friend. "What is it, man?" he asked worriedly as he placed his hand on Jason's arm.  
  
Jason looked his friend in the eye as he laughed mirthlessly, "She found me. Damn." He reached out and grabbed Kyle's shirtsleeve and tugged him into an empty alley. As soon as he was sure no one was listening, he muttered to Kyle, "I am taking you with me to go see Kayla. Try not to think of anything or we'll be found. Otherwise, no one will know we are there." Without another word, Jason teleported himself and Kyle to the Hogwarts entrance hall. Before they had even reappeared, Jason had a sight- shield over them.  
  
Jason grabbed Kyle's arm, again, and led him down to the Hospital Wing, hoping that it was late enough for everybody to be out, doing other things. He prayed that Kayla was alone. Jason used his powers to doubled check that no one was in the ward. Luck was with him: no one was. After telling Kyle to close his eyes, so he wouldn't panic, Jason focused on the door and made it temporarily act like the vanishing stair and the entrance to platform 9 3/4.  
  
Inside the room, Kayla was lying in a bed, as peaceful and serene as snow white. He locked the door and walked over to her bed. Placing to fingers on her right temple, Jason opened a link between them, showing her with emotions what he wouldn't be able to with words. His feelings of apology, remorse, and love pulsed through the open channel until Kayla opened her eyes. She slowly reached her hand up to place on his and showed him her love for him. When they finally broke apart, they were smiling broadly. He kissed her softly. All of a sudden, Kyle coughed, and they jumped apart, Kayla sitting upright in her bed.  
  
"Sorry to disturb and all that," he began as a slight blush crept into his face. "But, it was just a little...um...yeah...to watch you guys. You were glowing."  
  
Kayla turned to Jason and he mouthed that he had told Kyle everything and that she didn't have to worry about him being there. He sat on the corner of her bed and took her two hands in his. "Well, love, how do you feel?" he asked her.  
  
"I feel completely and utterly fine!" she vented. "These damn Brits don't understand that I know some Healing and sped along the process. I feel normal and I want to return to the rest of the castle. I don't like it in here. It is boring."  
  
Jason got a wicked glint in his eyes. "What do you say to springing a jailbreak, then?" he suggested slyly. She looked up at him, smiled, and nodded. He stood up and pulled her with him. They stood so one of his arms was across her back and around her waist, and her arms were around his middle. He rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. "So, where do you two want to go then?"  
  
"Um...maybe you should change first, Kayla." Kyle suggested. At their blank looks he continued, "In case you hadn't noticed, you look like a vampire. This isn't normal."  
  
She looked down at her costume from the night before and blushed. Jason consented, "Okay, so we will stop in my dorm before we leave. I also think we should leave Hope a note so that they don't think I was kidnapped or something."  
  
Kayla quickly wrote a note and left it on her bed with a shield over it so that it wouldn't blow away. After a moment of consideration, she held her hand about a foot above the note and concentrated. Shortly, a small sphere of light appeared. "That is a thought bubble that only Mother will be able to tap into. It is like telepathy, but in an enclosed area. When the designated person touches it, they will mentally hear the message left for them by the creator. This one basically says that I made up with you, Jason, and that we will be back soon. I didn't mention Kyle so that no one will ask questions. I read how to do it in a book," she explained. "Here is the game plan: we will teleport into my dorm room, covering ourselves in a sight-shield. If anyone is in there, one of us will have to leave to create a distraction. When they leave, we lock the door. I will then change as quickly as possible, but I want to take a fast shower so I can wash all of this make-up off. Then we leave. While I change we can decide where to go."  
  
That being decided, Kayla and Jason each grabbed one of Kyle's arms and teleported into the 5th year, Gryffindor girls' dormitory. As they dropped down, Jason draped a sight-shield over the trio so that any dorm inhabitants wouldn't notice them. Thankfully, no one was there since they were all down in the common room working on homework. Jason walked over to the door and locked it both physically and "magically." However, it was more like he created a force behind it that would prevent it from being opened. No one would get through. He turned back around and sat against the door as an extra precaution.  
  
Kayla quickly grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She grabbed a clean towel off the top of the stack left each morning by the house-elves and her shampoo and soap items off of the shelf marked "Kayla" in magical ink. It was permanent unless you recited the spell to take it off. Jason wondered briefly why that kind of organization wasn't in the boys' bathroom, but then he remembered that Hermione probably did it and the others just found it easier to go along with her than argue.  
  
After less than a minute of waiting, both the boys began to get impatient. Jason thought that the longer she took the better the chance of someone trying to get in and not be able to. But, he knew it was hopeless to try and hurry her, she wouldn't listen. So, Jason did the next best thing. He called a deck of cards and held them up to Kyle. Kyle nodded and sat down to play. Jason was ecstatic to be able to play with someone. The British students only liked chess or a game where cards exploded in your face. Jason cared for neither. But, he didn't get to play as often as he liked because James and Jake were in another house and the girls were never very interested.  
  
They managed to play a few hands of gin (about 15 minutes) before Kayla came out of the steamy bathroom, dressed in "normal" clothes, with her hair pulled back into a high pony tail, and, most importantly, totally un- vamprie-ish. She came over and bent to give Jason a quick kiss. She sat down next to him and laid her head down on his shoulder to wait for him to finish the game. "So," she asked while she waited, "where do you want to go?"  
  
"Well, assuming I have this time difference thing right, the mall back home should be opening just about now. Why don't we head there? That okay, mate?" Jason asked Kyle. He just nodded in response. "Great. The mall it is." Shortly, the finished the card game and Jason put them away and sent vanished them. He stood up and put his arm around Kayla's waist. He grabbed hold of Kyle and gave them some last-minute advice, "Remember, don't think of anything at all as we teleport, and certainly not where we are going. For some reason, if we think about it, people can follow us. I know because while I was gone, Hope was following me, but when I tried clearing my thoughts, she couldn't. So, in case anyone notices that we are gone anytime soon, clear those heads of yours. On the count of three, Kayla. To the parking lot. One...two...three!"  
  
Kyle watched in fascination as the 5th-year girls' dormitory became fuzzy and swirled around him. When it refocused, they were in the parking lot of their hometown mall. Thankfully, no one was watching them. Laughing, they walked into the mall. For the next few hours, they were able to forget everything. Their powers, their schools, their parents, and their responsibilities.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
After wandering around Diagon Alley for a couple hours, Hope returned to Hogwarts, laden down with practice weapons. It was time for her classes to actually begin using them. It also occurred to her that it was about time to start Kayla on her second sword. Normally Hope wouldn't even consider it, but the girl was such a natural, it was hard to resist. She decided to teach her daughter how to fight with two swords. It could be very powerful when used correctly. So, she stopped in Rouge Hill's Armoury to buy her an extra sword. She wouldn't be ready for it until Christmas, but it was a good thing to buy in advance. She also bought the back sheathes meant for use with two blades. Although it was a top-notch blade and excellent sheathes, they were rather inexpensive. Actual sword fighting had fallen out of practice, even with wizards. Most who did it only did so to stay in shape so they only used practice blades. Kayla would need a fighting blade, and Hope remembered her eyeing this particular sword when they had stopped by the store back in August.  
  
Hope took all of the weapons to the DADA room, and she hung them in the weapons' cabinet in the back of the room, hiding the one for Kayla in the secret compartment at the bottom. By then, it was time for dinner, so she walked down to the Great Hall to join the rest of the staff at her customary place between professors McGonagall and Snape. She watched as the students filed in and noticed immediately that Jason wasn't there. She would have thought he had returned by now. She wondered where he was.  
  
Suddenly, Madame Pomphrey opened the staff doors and whispered something in Professor Dumbledore's ear. Hope narrowed her eyes. Poppy normally took her meals in the Hospital Wing, and it was abnormal to see her out of her ward. In fact, she so rarely left there were rumors that she wasn't a real human being and was charmed into existence to remain forever in the infirmary. Now, while Hope knew that wasn't true (or, at least, she thought it wasn't) she knew that the nurse only left the Hospital Wing if there was an issue with one of her patients. And, as Hope knew Poppy's only patient at the moment was her daughter.  
  
Hope stared at Dumbledore's hat above McGonagall's head, hoping he would tell her what was going on. Fortunately (or unfortunately) her prayers were answered and he looked her way. His powers were either greater than she thought or her emotions were written on in her eyes since he nodded once, signaling that she should follow him. Once he was certain she understood, Dumbledore stood up to address the students as Madame Pomphrey exited the hall. "I hope you have all sufficiently recovered from the ball from last night," he said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "Tomorrow, classes will resume as usual and I expect your usual amount of decorum in class." He looked around the room once, seeming to pore into everyone's mind before ending, "Well, that being said: Bottoms Up!" He clapped and the serving plates magically filled with food from the kitchens, prepared by the not-so- small army of house-elves. He then turned and motioned for Hope to follow him.  
  
"Professor," Hope began hesitantly as soon as the staff door to the Great Hall closed. Before she could continue, however, Dumbledore had raised his hand in a request for silence.  
  
"My dear Hope, please do not waste your breath asking questions that you already know the answers to. If I am correct, you were about to ask why I asked you to join me in joining Poppy in the Hospital Wing. But, naturally, you have already assumed that it has something to do with Kayla. Since we both know this is a correct assumption, let us move on. This evening, Poppy was making her customary rounds of the ward to check up on Ms. Osborne. She was horrified to discover that her patient was missing. At first, she panicked, thinking that whomever poisoned her had returned to finish what he started. Namely, taking her to his master. But, then she noticed a piece of paper on the neatly folded bed. She tried to pick it up, but was thrown across the room, thankfully landing in a pile of extra pillows. That was when she thought it best to come find me." He turned his amused eyes to Hope and stayed nay further questions from her by adding, "I do believe that the rest of our questions will be answered as soon as we reach the infirmary."  
  
They continued their walk through the stone corridors in silence. When they reached their destination, Dumbledore opened the door and motioned Hope in before him. Poppy was nowhere in sight. Hope assumed she was in the connecting room, preparing more Pepper-Up potions since it was close to cold season. Dumbledore and Hope walked straight over to Kayla's unoccupied bed and stood on either side of it. Hope stared down at the paper that had caused so much difficulty. She bit back a wry smile. The reason why the nurse was blown away was because Kayla placed a shield over it to prevent people from tampering with it. But, after using her Sight to examine it for more traps, she realized that it wasn't and ordinary shield. It had something over it that only a few people would be able to recognize: a thought bubble.  
  
Hope brought her right hand and held it over the "sphere" hovering above the piece of parchment that only she could see. Or, rather, sense. She mentally amplified its contents so that Dumbledore could hear it, too. "Hey, Mother," Kayla's voice filled the air. Dumbledore's only visible clue to his surprise was the slight lift of his eyebrows. Even in this situation, Hope couldn't help but chuckle silently that even "All-Knowing Professor Dumbledore" didn't know everything. "I know you are probably worried sick about me. And, knowing you, you probably assume that I have been kidnapped and taken to Charles. But, to allay any of your fears, if this weren't me, how would I know that you were my mother. Remember? Charles doesn't know that. Well, to get on with why I am leaving this. After you all left this morning I don't remember much before falling asleep and dreaming of Jason. When I awoke, Jason was standing there, projecting his emotions that I couldn't help but forgive him even though I felt that he should be forgiving me. We talked for a few minutes, but then we couldn't stand this room any longer. I had to leave before I went insane. It was his idea, but don't blame him, please. If he hadn't suggested it, I would have. Well, we snuck up to my dorm so I could shower and change considering I was still in my costume form last night. Was it really only last night? I don't know yet where we are going to go, but I promise we will be careful. Please don't look for us. It would just be a waste of time since you won't find us. We will be back in time for class tomorrow morning. The note says pretty much the same thing, but I figured this would be easier to believe. See you soon."  
  
After the voice stopped echoing in the ward, Hope stood there in stunned silence as Dumbledore picked up the note and read over its contents. He held it out to Hope, but she didn't even need to read it to know what it said: an abridged version of what she had just heard. Kayla wouldn't risk writing much of that since too many things could go wrong and the note would fall into the wrong hands. But, Hope knew the thought bubble was keyed to her. No one else would be able to hear it.  
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily as Hope grumbled, "I guess there is nothing we can do, then, except wait for them to come back and give them a severe dressing down. I am going to go prepare my lessons for tomorrow. I am going to begin to actually let the students use blades. Could be scary." She shuddered melodramatic as she left the wing and headed towards her rooms.  
  
When Hope reached the painting doorway to her suite, she whispered the password: "Pumpernickel." The painting, a vampiress, welcomed her, as she swung open to admit her resident. Hope sat down in front of the fire with a sigh. A large, black dog padded into the room as Hope placed her head in her hands and groaned. The dog transformed into a man and began to massage Hopes shoulders.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Sirius Black asked his "roommate."  
  
"Nothing that I can fix," she replied. "Kayla took off with Jason this afternoon. The last I saw them they were fighting and miserable. And, now, they are back together and off somewhere. This is more convoluted that most normal teenage love issues! I am confused beyond belief, Sirius!"  
  
"Well, I am not an expert on love, and I haven't been a teenager in years. But, I will tell you what I think, if you want."  
  
"Please!" she said desperately.  
  
"Okay. I don't know about you, but I believe in True Love. Yes, with the capital letters. I believe in it, because I have seen it. James and Lily," he clarified before she could ask. "It is when a person finds their soul mate. A person so suited to them that it goes to the point where their souls are entwined. If you believe in reincarnation, there souls live on and are always connected, whether or not their bodies are. If someone is lucky enough for find this person, they would do anything to keep this person happy. They are miserable if they are angry at each other and go to great extents to make up quickly. It doesn't matter when they meet, they will love each other for the rest of their lives."  
  
"So, you believe Kayla and Jason have this True Love?" Hope asked as he continued to massage her shoulder blades.  
  
"Yes. I believe I am enough of an expert to tell, even in the short time I've known them."  
  
"How does this affect me, then?"  
  
"It means the rules for them are different than for the rest of the world. What I would suggest for them would be to encourage them as much as you can to be with each other. They will never be happy with anyone else. Don't yell at them when they show up tomorrow. They are a rule unto themselves and will only rebel more if you place more restrictions upon them. Plus, they may expect to be punished, and will be totally confused that they aren't."  
  
"What do I tell the rest of their friends if they ask about them?" Hope whined.  
  
"Umm...hope they don't?" When she glared at him, he continued, "No, I didn't think that plausible. Well, just tell them that they are in here with us but don't want visitors. Only a white lie. Won't hurt anyone."  
  
Hope barely had the energy left to glare at Sirius. "I will take that under advisement," she murmured before closing her eyes sleepily. It was the last thing she remembered doing before dozing off on the couch. When she awoke in the morning, she suspected her masseuse of carefully using a spell of sleep on her while she wasn't paying attention.  
  
She stood up and went about tidying up her room before heading to the DADA room. She had a lot of work to do before the classroom would be ready for students. Sirius, in is dog form, was lying down in front of her desk, asleep. His tail wagged once when she walked in displaying his pleasure in himself. She looked up and saw what was making him so pleased with himself. A tray of food was waiting for her on her desk. He must have ordered it for her from the house-elves. "Thanks, Snuffles."  
  
Since she had a class right after breakfast, Hope needed to move all the desks into an adjoining room in order to make a practice ring. She had only just finished when students began trickling into the room.  
  
Her first class just so happened to be fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherin. The way her DADA classes worked was that the house your class was with changed every week. It was just chance that the houses most antagonistic towards each other just happened to be in the same class in the week that she began her classes with actual weapons. Especially this year of students. The animosity between the young Malfoy and her daughter's cousin was legendary.  
  
The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. She glanced around, taking roll, immediately noticing that Jason and Kayla weren't there. Hope had a sudden feeling of panic. _She said she would be back by the time classes began this morning. So, where are they?_ she thought. Hope began to worry that something had actually happened to them.  
  
Hope opened her mouth to answer the class' questions about where the desks were. Suddenly, the door creaked open and two partially shrouded figures snuck into the rooms. Whoever it was, their reserves were low and they needed to rest before they would be able to do any more magic. Unnoticed by the rest of the class, the crept to the back of the room and sat down. The sight-shield covering the figures dissipated and Hope's assumptions proved true. Hope was relieved to see Kayla and Jason in one piece.  
  
"Well, class," she began as though she hadn't noticed their late entrance. "Today you will actually start using everything I have taught you so far. In a minute I will be passing out the practice weapons. Please use them with caution because they could still hurt people. If I see anyone misusing a weapon, I will personally escort you to Professor Dumbledore's office, and we will have a little chat with your head-of-house." She glanced around for emphasis. "Well, that being said. Please form a line in front of the cabinet and I will give you your sword. You are the first class to use them, so please don't ruin them yet."  
  
Hope walked to the back of the room. "Well, what are y'all waiting for? Get in line!" The Gryffindors hurried to get their weapons, but the Slytherins lazily walked up to her to get their swords. Hope found it disturbing that the Slytherins in her other classes were eager to learn. They were good kids, even though they suffered under the stigmatism of being in their house. It was only in the fifth year class that she received scornful stares and disinterest. Although she knew it was improper, Hope almost wanted them to fool around with steel out so that she would have an excuse to kick them out of her class. However, they finally took their blades and took their places on the practice mats. Tori and Keri walked to the front of the room. Since their preferred weapons were daggers, they weren't required to do this. Therefore, since they knew the basics, though, once the class began, they would walk around and help those who needed it. Jason and Kayla would do that also because they were more advanced with swords. So the happy couple walked to the door and leaned on it, talking.  
  
Hope quickly paired off the class. Today, they would begin by learning some of the most basic attacks and blocks. She started them off by one person attacking and the other blocking. When she whistled, they were to change. Hope, the twins, and the couple walked around, adjusting people's stances and grips. Shortly after the class switched positions, the headmaster knocked on the door and beckoned Hope outside.  
  
"Okay, y'all," she told them before closing the door. "I am trusting you enough to continue by yourselves until I get back in. Please don't prove me wrong."  
  
As soon as Hope stepped out of the room, a snide laughter filled the room. "Can you believe that woman? 'Please don't prove me wrong' my arse. Does she seriously believe that we won't hurt ourselves?" Kayla knew that whoever it was was only trying to get her goat so she didn't show any reaction. Once she finished showing Dean how to correctly grip his blade, she turned around as if looking for someone else to assist. However, she was really searching out the laughter that was still sounding in her mind. She stopped in front of Malfoy. When he noticed her, he looked down his perfect nose at her. "Can I help you with something, Osborne?"  
  
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. I mean, I am the more experienced of the two of us in this class." Malfoy glared at Kayla as she continued, "And considering our discussion on the train here, I am surprised you would be willing to pick a fight with me. I assure you I would beat you." He paled. If that was possible. But, he continued to glare at her, continuing the façade of collectedness. Only his eyes hinted at the fear he felt. "I ask again: is there anything I can help you with?"  
  
Malfoy began to sweat, as if debating whether or not to actually ask her something. "For some reason I seem unsteady as I block. Do you think you could tell me what I am doing wrong?" he finally choked out.  
  
Kayla smiled, "Sure. "I want you to pretend my hand is a sword and reach out and block it, stopping exactly when I tell you to." Surprisingly he did exactly what she told him to. "Okay, here is your problem. You are moving your feet in too close together. Here, hand me your blade." She took his sword and made too notches on the floor, where he should place his feet. "I want you to keep your feet on these notches. If you think it would help, I will make it so that your feet won't move from those spots. That way, your feet would become accustomed to that position. But, I don't think that it is necessary. Call me over if you need my help, again." She smiled and walked away.  
  
The rest of the class went by smoothly. No fights broke out, and no one hurt themselves. When the time came to change classes, Hope called Jason and Kayla to stay back so that she could speak with them about a few things. They followed the rest of the class to the front of the room, but stopped at her desk and didn't leave the room.  
  
"So, care to tell me why you two disappeared yesterday? Why you are in classes and not in the Hospital Wing, Kayla?" Hope wanted to know.  
  
"I thought everything was explained sufficiently in our notes," Jason commented.  
  
Kayla placed her hand on his arm to stop his tirade before he started. She picked up the explanation, "I couldn't stand being stuck in there anymore. As to why I am here at the moment? Well, same reason really. I feel fine, Mother!"  
  
"You really are my daughter," Hope grumbled almost inaudibly. Then, she continued, louder, "Fine. I think it is time to begin teaching you more. I expect to see you both here after dinner. Now, hurry on to potions." Ron and Harry had complained profusely that they had two classes in a row with the Slytherins before Hermione pointed out that it was only for this week.  
  
They left the DADA room and practically ran to the dungeons. They had been told the stories of students (especially Gryffindors) who were late to Snape's class. They skidded to a halt in front of the door to the potions room. Warily, they pulled open the door.  
  
"Well, well, well," began a snide voice from the front of the room. "Why were you two late?"  
  
"Sorry, Professor Snape, sir," Kayla apologized. "Professor Forest wanted to speak with us after class. We won't be late again, sir." Kayla then smiled as charmingly as she could while waiting for his reply.  
  
"Very well, Miss Osborn. Will you and Mr. Clayborn please take your seats so I may begin class?"  
  
"Yes, sir," they both intoned before making their way to their seats at the table next to the twins amidst looks of disbelief from the rest of the class. No one knew why, but, for some reason, Snape liked Kayla and was even more lenient with her than he was with Malfoy. Whenever she was asked, Kayla replied that she just smiled and said she had her secrets. Snape, for his part, was convinced that this girl was somehow connected to his old friend Charles, and he was going to find out why.  
  
That evening, as promised, Jason and Kayla reported to Hope's office after dinner. She explained that she thought it was time to teach Kayla how to use two blades at once. She wasn't going to teach it to Jason, he was going to learn some more advanced single bladed techniques and would practice against Kayla. It was difficult work, for both of them, and, by the time they finished for the evening, they were both sweating and ready to collapse. They promised to meet with Hope every other evening after dinner to work on these techniques.  
  
As far as Quidditch went, tryouts were held on the first Monday of November for all second years and older. A second year named Monica O'Leary was chosen as reserve keeper; fourth years Megan Laurence, Juni Sanders, and Abigail Jacobs were the chosen chasers; and Erica Landers and Michael Smith (third years) were chosen as beaters. Surprisingly, no one tried out for the position of seeker. In one of the flying classes, a first year (Kenneth Williams) was showing off by doing steep dives when McGonagall saw him. She knew what Harry and the team was doing and brought him out during one practice to introduce him around. Harry was supposed to teach him out to be a great seeker so that, by the time Harry left, Ken would be very skilled.  
  
The last Thursday in November, the American exchange students all gathered in Hope's room to have a Thanksgiving Dinner. They watched the Macy's Day Parade and football (of the American version). In other words, they had a lot of fun. That following Sunday was the first Quidditch match of the season (Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff). The Gryffindor teams used it as the perfect opportunity to observe their competition. Kayla and Harry were only concerned about the seekers while the rest of the team watched the rest, they would discuss it at their next practice. It turned out that Rachel was playing seeker for Ravenclaw's team. Kayla thought it ironic that they were playing each other's positions, but she wasn't worried. She knew how Rachel played, seeing as they trained together. The Hufflepuff seeker was a little slow on his broom, almost as if he were afraid of falling. The Gryffindor delegation wasn't worried about him. At their team meeting, they decided that Ravenclaw's strength was in keeping the quaffle away from the other team. But, they couldn't always get it back so if Gryffindor could take it, they would most likely keep it. Hufflepuff relied on their keeper's ability to stop the quaffle. They decided that these two teams weren't going to be a problem. Their first game was the week after the student's return in January.  
  
Sooner than they thought, the students going home for the break said their goodbyes to those remaining, boarded the train, and went home for the holidays. The exchange students were all staying since they had no way home, Harry was staying because he always was, the Weasley's were staying because their parents were going to Romania to visit Charlie, and Hermione was staying to keep them all company.


	21. Dreams and Disturbances

**Chapter 21**  
  
The day after everybody left, the castle seemed empty. The Weasley's, Hermione, Harry, and the Americans had a major snowball fight (Americans versus British). Due to the fact that the Americans were using their telekinesis powers, they obviously won since their snowballs hit their targets every time. The twelve students trudged back into the castle to get dry. Everyone was awful giddy, even Hermione who pushed Ron into a snowdrift. The two had been getting along a lot better since the Halloween Ball when they had gotten their emotions out into the open. They were taking it slow though: at the moment, they were trying to improve their friendship. They were working on not arguing.  
  
George reached over and pulled Tori's hair. She screeched, whipped around, and lunged at him. He laughed and ran off into the snow. She tore off after him and eventually caught up. She pushed him into he snow. Still laughing, he reached up and grabbed her hand and tugged her down next to him. Before she could do anything, he flipped over on top of her and kissed her. After the Ball, the had gotten to know each other better and "fell in love." They finally stood up and the group managed to make it back into the castle and into their respective common rooms.  
  
An hour later, the Gryffindors were all down sitting in front of the fire. Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess, and Hermione was reading a book. Jason was drawing while Kayla was holding the book that she was going to read but was really watching Jason. Tori was lying with her head in George's lap while she sharpened her daggers. Keri was also sharpening her daggers, but she was leaning up against Fred's back as she did so. (She and Fred had become as close to each other as their respective twins had.) The Weasley were in deep conversation about their joke shop. They could no longer work from home, so they concentrated on creating from school. They had let their girls in on their secret since the Rose girls had some great ideas.  
  
Dinner was a quiet affair. Most students had gone home so, like had been done in the past, every table had been cleared from the room so that there was only just enough room for everybody who was left. The 7 Gryffindors sat down next to James and Jake.  
  
After dinner, the nine of them followed Hope to her suite of rooms so they could all talk. They walked in and sat down on the couches in front of the fire in the living room. As soon as they all sat down, Hope's shadow walked over to Harry. Suddenly, in its place stood a tall, dark man. Fred and George turned around and jumped. "Sirius Black!" they shouted.  
  
"Calm down, George," Tori soothed, kissing him on the cheek. "He isn't a murderer. He was set up."  
  
"Yeah," Ron added. "Sit down, you two."  
  
The twins looked around at everyone's faces. They realized that they were the only ones there who didn't know that Sirius was innocent. The sat back down, hard. "So, how long have you known?"  
  
"Well," Harry admitted. "We found out at the end of our third year. Your mum found out last year when Dumbledore was giving out assignments for the Order."  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell us?"  
  
"Because he still isn't free. The more people who know the bigger the chance he is found."  
  
"Right," George replied.  
  
"Got it," Fred answered.  
  
Hope decided a change of subjects was in order. "Kayla," she began smoothly. "I almost forgot." She called in a long, skinny package wrapped in paper. Then, she called in another, smaller parcel similarly wrapped. "It is the first night of Chanukah. Your parents wanted me to give you this." She handed over the smaller gift. "And, this is from me," she added, handing over the other gift.  
  
Kayla opened the gift from her "parents" first. It was a chamsa necklace. The charm was all sterling silver with a blue bead in the center. Kayla thought it was beautiful, and she fastened it around her neck. Next, she opened the gift from her mother. It was the beautiful jewel encrusted sword that she had admired over the summer in the Armoury they had stopped at. She screeched and launched herself at Hope and hugged her.  
  
"Since you are learning the double-blade technique, I thought you would need to blades. I also have a back sheath for you that is used for two blades. You will get it another night."  
  
* * * * * *  
  
_Tori stumbled through the deserted halls. There was no one around, not even in the pictures. It was as if she had stumbled into an alternate reality. She ran out into the frigid air and across the ground into the forest. She didn't know why, but there was something important going on in there. Tori blindly pushed past tree limbs and hurried to the center of the forest. Towards the clearing where they had saved Kayla earlier in the year. When she got close, she began to search the forest with her eyes. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she knew it was important.  
  
Suddenly, she saw a splash of red among the greens, browns, and grays of the forest. Tori ran towards it, not knowing what it was, but afraid of finding out. She stumbled into a clearing, devoid of anything but a patch of red connected to an object that she couldn't quite make out yet. She warily walked over the patch so that she could see what it was. Tori gasped in shock and horror when she could see it clearly.  
  
Tori ran the rest of the way to the person who was lying on the ground. She began to cry as she shook George, trying to wake him up. "C'mon, George, this isn't funny," she sobbed. Hollow laughter echoed throughout the forest, laughing at her attempts to wake the dead.  
_  
Tori bolted upright in her dormitory room, sweating. She willfully repressed a scream, not wanting to awaken the other girls. Looking at her watch, she groaned. It was only 2:30 AM. She got up and splashed some cold water on her face in the bathroom. After a few minutes, Tori felt like she could finally fall asleep again so she climbed back into her bed and closed the drapes. But, once she closed her eyes, all Tori saw was George's lifeless face while the laughter echoed in her mind. Although she knew he was all right, and tried to tell herself that, Tori had to prove to herself that he was only in his dorm room, unharmed.  
  
Even though everyone was believed to be asleep, Tori shrouded herself with a sight-shield so that no one would spot her. She snuck up the boys' staircase and read the plates outside each door. She stopped outside the one that read "7th Year." Silently, Tori opened the door and crept inside. She walked amongst the beds until she found the one that was George's. She pulled open the drapes and sighed with relief when she saw him sleeping peacefully. The noise must have awoken him since he opened an eye and looked at her sleepily.  
  
"Tori?" he asked, still sleep befuddled as he sat up in his bed and pulled her down to sit next to him. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I…I…I…" Tori began before breaking down into sobs, leaning into his side.  
  
"Shhh," he soothed. He held her for a few minutes until she stopped shaking. "Now, can you tell me what is the problem?"  
  
"I had this really awful dream. I was running through the castle and the forest. And you were lying on the ground. Dead. And someone was laughing. I tried to go back to bed, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I needed to make sure you were okay. But, now I am afraid to go back to my bed. I know that as soon as I do, I will see you dead again. Do you mind if I stay with you?"  
  
George looked startled at first, but then he realized that all she wanted to do was be near him. He nodded mutely and made room for her and pulled the drapes closed around them. Tori lay with her back against his front. She leaned around and kissed him on the cheek as she muttered, "Thanks, love." He murmured something incomprehensible as he wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her close. Soon, they were both asleep.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
George Weasley woke up with his arms around something warm. He blinked sleepily at the strawberry blond mop in his arms. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was already 7 in the morning. He had trained himself to wake up at seven on weekdays. He let himself sleep in on the weekends. Although he wanted to stay like that forever, he knew that if they didn't wake up soon, questions would be asked that he didn't think Tori would want to answer. He leaned on an elbow so that he could see her face clearly. He kissed her as he shook her awake gently.  
  
"Tori," he whispered. "Unless you want everyone to know that you were in here last night, you should probably head back to your room."  
  
"Hmmm?" she mumbled as she opened her eyes. "Yeah. Okay." Tori sat up and smiled at him. "See you later, then," she muttered quietly as she kissed him before teleporting out.  
  
Tori reappeared in her bed in her dormitory room. She pulled open the drapes and swung her feet onto the hard wood floor. "Good-morning, ladies," she told the rest of the room as she gathered her things and headed towards the bathroom, smiling to herself. No one had noticed that she wasn't in her bed just 10 minutes prior.  
  
Unbeknownst to Tori, Keri stared at her sister's back, wondering. She alone knew that Tori hadn't spent the night in her bed. Keri had woken up earlier than the others and had gone to wake up her sister so that they could talk like they used to back home, only to notice that Tori was missing. She knew that he sister must have had a good reason to be out of her bed, so she closed the curtains and told the others she was still asleep. Keri only hoped that Tori would tell her why she was gone.  
  
The four left their room to join the boys before making their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. George maneuvered so that he and Tori were at the back of the group so that he could talk to her without the others hearing. "Are you all right now, love?"  
  
"Yeah. I am sorry if I bothered you last night. But, thank you all the same," she answered, kissing him lightly.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I don't like seeing you upset, so I am glad you came to me. If you ever have another dream like that again, I trust you will come to me. Won't you?"  
  
"Yes. As long as you swear it doesn't disturb your sleep."  
  
"I swear on that toilet seat Fred and I never sent to Ginny in third year."  
  
"Good enough," Tori laughed. "Let's get some breakfast." George joined in her laughter as he draped his arm over her shoulders and hugged her close to him. Together, they followed the others down to the Great Hall.  
  
The night before, while the 9 of them were in the common room before dinner, they decided that since they had so much fun having their snowball fight, they decided to have another. But, this time, they were going to invite the other students who were spending the holidays at school. Once everyone was down in the Great Hall, George grinned at the others before standing up. He clinked his knife on the edge of his pumpkin juice goblet. "May I have everyone's attention, please?" he said, projecting his voice to all corners of the hall. "Well, actually, the professors can ignore the rest of this speech. It is directed at the students. Sorry, guys, maybe next time." Tori elbowed him. "Ouch! Okay, fine. Right, well, we had this snowball fight yesterday, and since we had so much fun, we thought it would be really cool to have another today, school-wide. We could do a house fight or something. So, if you are interested, meet us at the Quidditch pitch in an hour. And, come dressed warmly because you are bound to get wet. Hope to see you all there."  
  
With that, the Gryffindors all left the Great Hall. Because they had gotten there early in the attempt to get there before everyone else so that they could give their invitation, they were all finished eating before everyone else. They hurried up to their tower to grab their outer garments (boots, gloves, hats, scarves, jackets.  The works). Then, Hermione performed a spell she found in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk that waterproofed it all. Then, they headed outside. It turned out that the entire student body remaining in the castle came to participate. The teams weren't exactly even, but everyone agreed to keep it house versus house.  
  
In the end, Gryffindor won, but everyone agreed that it was probably because they had more people. As they dispersed, they decided that if it were to snow again (therefore replacing the snow they had used and trampled) there would be another snowball fight. But, they would be contacted if the case were to arise. Wet but happy, the students trudged back inside not knowing that most of the teachers had watched the entire fight from the Astronomy Tower.  
  
Tori didn't even remember her dream until she crawled into bed that evening. She hoped that it wasn't what she thought it was. She prayed it was just a normal nightmare, not what she really thought it was. All her senses told her it was a foretelling dream. With that last, pleading thought, Tori closed her eyes and went to sleep.  
  
She awoke hours later, sweating, with that horrible laughter filling her head. Looking at her watch, it read 2:30: the exact same time it had the night before when she woke up. She shakily stood up and headed to the one place where the dreams would stop momentarily: George's bed. Since she knew which dormitory it was, it took Tori less time than it had the night before.  
  
Tori walked straight to George's bed and pulled open the drapes as silently as possible. She shook his shoulder to wake him up. "We gotta stop meeting like this," he mumbled as he woke up and saw her. "Dream again?" he asked when he saw her tear-streaked face. When she nodded, he pulled back the covers for her and ordered, "Get in." She obeyed immediately. He wrapped his arms around her, exactly as he had the night before. He kissed her and said, "Good night." They were asleep within moments.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
Just like the morning before, George awoke at precisely seven AM. He gently shook Tori awake. "Mmmm…five more minutes?" she murmured without waking up. Sighing, George leaned over his girlfriend and kissed her. "I like waking up this way," Tori whispered as she opened her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, well, so do I. And, if we want to keep waking up this way, you need to get back to your bed before someone notices. I will see you soon, okay?"  
  
"Yeah," she nodded forlornly. "I wish we could sleep in, though."  
  
George traced a finger down the side of her face. "Later." He kissed her again, when, suddenly, she disappeared.  
  
Tori kept her eyes closed when she rematerialized and, at first, didn't realize something was wrong. When she did, she opened her eyes automatically, assuming that somehow she hadn't left George's bed. However, when she opened her eyes she saw blond hair, not red. "Keri?" she asked, panicked. "Why are you in my bed?"  
  
"A better question, Tori, is why you weren't in bed just five minutes ago. I covered for you yesterday. One night I can deal with. But two? No, my dear twin, you had better tell me where you were or I will be forced to do something drastic."  
  
"Like what?" her twin wanted to know before giving away her and George's secret.  
  
"Like tell Hermione you were out of bed at night. You know she would tell McGonagall."  
  
"You wouldn't?" Tori stared at her sister in disbelief for a long moment. "Never mind. Don't answer that. I know you would. All right! Fine! I was sleeping with George!" Keri, who had sat up, began to go red in the face and started to make weird, chocking noises. "Not like that, you twit! I was sleeping with him, not SLEEPING with him! We just shared a bed, nothing more, okay! So get those nasty thoughts out of your head!"  
  
Still sputtering, Keri managed to force out, "So, why, pray tell, are you sleeping with George?"  
  
"Well, I had this really awful dream. I was running through the castle, and then the forest, and then I found George lying on the ground. Dead. And then someone started to laugh. Every time I closed my eyes I could only see his lifeless face and hear that horrible sound. I needed to make sure he was okay. And I ended up spending the rest of the night with him. It happened again last night. And will most likely happen again tonight. The dream only goes away when I am with him."  
  
"That doesn't sound like a normal dream," Keri began.  
  
"I know that! But I don't even want to think of the other possibility! Would you? If it was you having the dream about Fred?"  
  
"No, and I don't blame you. Maybe you should talk to Hope about it."  
  
"No," Tori disagreed. "I will be fine, thank you."  
  
"Tori, don't be like that. You know I love you. I just don't want to see you hurt, that is all."  
  
"Yeah, I know that, Keri. I love you, too. Now, what do you say we wake up the others, our way?" Keri nodded enthusiastically. They pulled apart the drapes as they each grabbed a pillow. Tori stood next to Hermione's bed and Keri assumed her position next to Kayla's. "On the count of three. One…Two…Three!" In unison, they pulled apart the curtains and began to hit their victims with their weapons of choice.  
  
As the days went by, Keri became more and more worried about her twin. She even considered talking to Hope about it, but that course of action would break all rules of twin confidentiality. Not that anyone but Keri noticed Tori's behavioral changes. On the outside, she seemed chipper enough. But, therein lies the problem. Tori was naturally reticent and her recent behavior only proved that she was hiding. However, she wouldn't talk about it. At least, not with her own twin. She might have confided in George, seeing as he was the only solace from her visions (as Keri now believed they were), but Keri doubted her prideful sister had done even that. The only thing Keri could do was watch her twin and hope she didn't do anything drastic.  
  
Tori, herself, walked around the castle in a state of heightened tension and could barely force herself to leave George's side. Like Keri, Tori now knew that her hellish nightmare was a vision of the future, not that she would ever admit it to anyone. She covered her nerves with a false sense of enthusiasm while she secretly researched ways to protect her boyfriend since she couldn't be with him all the time.  
  
Finally, it snowed again. Just in time to prevent massive pranks from the students left in the castle. Like their previous escapade in the snow, the invitation was issued over breakfast. George stood up and the student body instantly fell silent. They knew what was coming. "I promised you we would let you know when the next snowball fight would be," he began without preamble. "Be at the Quidditch pitch at 10 o'clock in order to participate. And face it, what else is there to do? Homework?" Hermione bit back a protest and George winked at her and continued, "And, to spice things up a bit, we are also inviting the professors to join in the fun. See you all later!"  
  
At precisely ten o'clock, the Quidditch field began to fill up with both students and teachers. Everyone was looked forward to the game. At quarter after ten, George began to explain the rules so that no one could say "But I didn't know that!" Spells and charms were allowed, as long as they weren't meant to harm anyone in particular. For instance, one could make a snowball bigger and faster, but not tickle another player. The teachers all looked amused at George's foresight and list of how not to harm others. His pranks weren't all harmless, after all.  
  
When George finished, the battle began. He actually had to dive out of the way so he wouldn't be hit with the first snowball thrown at his head. He suspected Fred had thrown it. The fight had begun. Snowballs were thrown all over the place. Each of the five teams fending for themselves against the others.  
  
Suddenly, Keri had a perfectly clear shot right at Jake. She couldn't pass it up. She threw the snowball in her hands at her long-time friend. Since it was only slightly modified to stick together better, Keri was shocked when Jake went down and stayed down when it hit him. It definitely wasn't supposed to do that. She wasn't the only one to notice, however, since one of the teachers, McGonagall Keri surmised, called a halt to the playing. Keri raced across the field to slide to a stop at his side, the other players gathering around to see what was wrong, Fred with a slight glare. Jake wouldn't wake up, no matter what they did. That was when Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and carried Jake to the hospital wing.  
  
The other five musketeers (along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George) attempted to follow Dumbledore so they could find out what was wrong with their friend. Keri was especially worried since she believed it was her fault cause she threw the snowball. They were stopped by the irascible Madame Pomphrey who told them not to return until they were wearing dry clothes. They hurried to their respective dormitories to dry off. They returned in less than thirty minutes to find Jake sitting up in a bed trying to persuade the nurse to let him leave. That, yes, he was perfectly fine and able to be alone.  
  
Keri pushed past the others and ran to Jake's bed. She began to apologize so quickly it was nearly impossible for Jake to understand what she was saying, "OMG, Jake I am so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you at all. I am so sorry. I can't-"  
  
Jake interrupted her, "Ker' it is okay. I am fine. Really. Stop worrying."  
  
"But-"  
  
Jake ignored her and turned to the nurse, with his most charming smile, "Madame Pomphrey is it okay if I go now? I promise to take it easy for the rest of the break."  
  
In the face of such an argument, the nurse could do no other but comply. Besides, she still remembered Kayla's little escapade and feared that Jake would vanish if she made him stay. She went into the side room and returned with a bottle. She gave a spoonful of its contents to Jake as she said, "Fine, but I want you in your bed in under thirty minutes, so I am going to give you a potion that will make you fall asleep in precisely half an hour. And I want you to check in with me in the morning when you wake up." They waved goodnight and with one last quick apology from Keri, the students returned to their dormitories. James promising to make sure Jake followed the medi-witch's instructions.  
  
They got back to the Gryffindor common room without mishap, but once in the tower, things didn't go so well. Fred had sat down on a chair and stared into the fire. Keri walked over to him and sat down next to him. "Is there something wrong, Fred?"  
  
"Oh! So now you want to know if I'm okay."  
  
"What is that supposed to mean, Fred Weasley?" she said, standing and putting her hands on her hips and giving him the evil eye.  
  
"That you obviously care more about Jake than you do about me," he replied scathingly.  
  
"Fred! I've known Jake since I was 3! Of course I care about him. But, you are my boyfriend. Not him. I think I would know," she added, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Well, it doesn't look that way to me."  
  
"If you think that you obviously don't know me very well at all!" By this time, both of them had stood up and were shouting at each other. All activity in the common room had stopped as everyone in Gryffindor tower watched the couple argue. "You obviously don't know how it feels to almost lose one of your best friends! I worry about him!"  
  
"So why don't you go comfort him, then?"  
  
"Because you are my boyfriend."  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"Everything!"  
  
"What do you mead by that?"  
  
"If you don't know I am certainly not going to tell you!" When Fred only glared at her, Keri continued, "What is your problem?"  
  
"I don't know! Why don't you go ask Jake? I am sure you don't argue with him. But, then again, I'm not sure you do much talking with him either."  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Keri asked, aghast. "Are you implying that I'm cheating on you?"  
  
"Well if it walks like at duck and quacks like a duck."  
  
"Take that back right now, Fredrick Laurence Weasley! Take it back!"  
  
"No way!"  
  
Keri turned as red as Fred's hair as she fumed about what he said. Then she stalked over to where Fred was standing and slapped him. "Don't ever speak to me like that again," she whispered with deadly calm before rephrasing, "actually, don't ever speak to me again. I am not sure I would be able to refrain from stabbing you. Goodbye, Fred."  
  
She turned and ran up the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. Fred looked around at the students who watched the argument. "What are you blokes looking at?" he snarled before heading up to his own dormitory.  
  
Tori and George collapsed on an armchair in front of the fire. "Do you think we should talk to them, love?" George whispered into Tori's ear.  
  
She nodded, "I suppose we should…I don't want to though. C'mon, no rest for the weary. You take your twin, I'll take mine." When she tried to get up, though, George wouldn't let her. She glared at him.  
  
"Just a few more minutes, please?" he whined in his best "little kid" voice. Tori laughed and kissed him full on the lips.  
  
"Mmmm…But, if we go now, we will have more time alone later."  
  
"I like that plan! Let's go!" He stood up and dragged her up with him. With one last, lingering kiss, George pushed his girl towards the staircase Keri ran up as he headed towards the set his twin had rushed up after snapping at the rest of the common room.


	22. Double Attacks

**Chapter 22**  
  
For the next week or so, tensions ran high in the group of Gryffindors because of the angst between Keri and Fred. Both members of the drama had tried to convince their twins that they were in the right, but Tori and George wisely stayed out of it. They figured that if their twins wanted to be idiots, that was their prerogative. Instead, they decided to avoid their siblings as much as possible. Usually, they spent their time hiding in the far corners of the library where not even Madame Pince found them.  
  
It was on one evening spent reading through books: George actually studying for his N.E.W.T's and Tori was pretending to study for her O.W.L's while she was really looking through books trying to find charms to help her protect George from spells. "I found it!" Tori shouted before realizing it was the library and continuing in a near-whisper, "I found it! I found it! I found it!"  
  
"What did you find?" George asked curiously as he leaned over to see what she was looking at.  
  
Tori slammed the book shut, glancing at the page number as she did so. "Nothing!" she replied quickly. "Just a spell you wouldn't be interested in." George looked at her suspiciously. "What?"  
  
He closed his books and sighed dramatically. "I'm beat," he told her. "How about we head back to the common room, sneakily, and go to bed?"  
  
Tori smiled, "Sounds like a plan."  
  
They both stood up and put away their books in a hidden alcove that they had discovered. Holding hands, Tori covered them both in a sight-shield as they headed back towards the tower. They had one close call when they passed by the Ravenclaw common room and saw Jake. He stared right at them before shrugging and turning away. George whispered in Tori's ear, "You're like my own built-in invisibility cloak." She giggled as they made their way into the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Earlier that week, when they had both decided to avoid their twins, and consequently everyone, they had discovered that Tori could cover George with a sight-shield even when they were in their separate dormitories. So, with a kiss, they separated, each going, hidden, up their respective staircases.  
  
Once back in her room, Tori called in the book she had been looking at in the library. She opened it up to the page she was reading before her outburst. She ripped the page out of the book and returned it to the alcove. "_'The loving sleep,'_" she read aloud from the page. "_'Protects a person who the caster cares about from all harmful spells and charms. To cast the charm, simply cast the following spell with a twist flick of the wrist: _Linel Shamor_.'_" Tori smiled slightly, thinking the spell was perfect for what she wanted. She dropped the page onto her dresser, hidden as a note from George, as she continued getting ready for bed.  
  
Tori thought she found the perfect charm, but she failed to read the entire description, stopping when she got to the part she thought would be useful. The rest of the page read, "Linel Shamor_ meant '_beloved sleep_' in an ancient, dead language. It would protect the recipient from anything sent at them by sending them into a deep sleep that appeared to be death. However, a portion of the spell would reverberate back to the caster because the spell's energy couldn't be completely deflected and must go somewhere.'_  
  
That night, after everyone in George's dorm was asleep, including George, Tori called her wand in and cast the spell over her sleeping boyfriend. While she noticed very little effect, she assumed it worked and vanished her wand before settling down encircled by George's arm and fell into the first restful sleep she had had in weeks.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
After what seemed like forever, the Christmas Feast was finally upon them. Tori and George had finally been cornered by their twins and forced to spend the day apart. When time came for the feast, Tori was waiting down in the common room for George so they could walk down together. Fred, however, came down by himself.  
  
"Where is George?" she demanded of him.  
  
"I thought he was with you," he answered.  
  
"No, I haven't seen him all day. He has been with you."  
  
"No, he hasn't. He left a little after lunch after he got a strange letter. I assumed it was from you. I take it, it wasn't?"  
  
"No, it wasn't," she whispered darkly.  
  
"Well, maybe he is already down in the Great Hall," Fred suggested.  
  
"Maybe," Tori replied although it was obvious she didn't believe him.  
  
They walked down to the Great Hall where they both searched for the errant Weasley twin. However, neither of them saw the familiar red hair on anyone other than Ron. Tori volunteered to find him and left the Great Hall and headed back towards the tower, heart plummeting.  
  
Not finding her awol boyfriend anywhere in the tower Tori ran through the deserted castle to the front entrance where she pulled open the large doors and went into the frigid air. Just as in her dream, Tori raced across the snow-covered grounds and towards the forest.  
  
Halfway there, Tori was wracked by horrible pain jolting through her heart causing her to fall to the ground, panting. Forcing herself up, Tori ran through the pain as hard as she could. Somehow, she knew that George had been attacked. She had to find him.  
  
Not really paying attention to her surroundings, Tori raced along the path she followed in her dreams. She stumbled into the clearing from her dreams and began to scan the area. Finally, she spotted what she was looking for: a crop of red hair.  
  
Running to George's side, Tori fell to her knees, tears silently falling down her face. He wasn't breathing.  He was dead.  But, there was that spell.  It should have worked.  
  
She wasn't sure how long she knelt there sobbing before she heard a voice echo through the trees, "Silly girl. I am powerful enough to override your little spell." His laughter ringed in her ears long after his presence left the forest.  
  
Tori rested her head on George's chest in a vain attempt to find a beat. When she found none, she leaned down, tears freely running down her face, and kissed George one last time.  
  
"Damn you, George!" she screamed at him as she pounded her fists on his chest. "You can't leave me!" Tori closed her eyes but didn't stop banging on his chest.  
  
Suddenly, hands wrapped around her wrists and held them close. Startled, Tori's eyes flew open. She stared in disbelief at George, whose eyes were wide open. "Stop it," he whispered. "That hurts." Somehow, without letting go of her wrists, George pulled Tori down on the ground next to him and held her while she sobbed tears of relief. They didn't know how long they lay there, but both were too worn out to move.  
  
Eventually, Keri and Fred showed up. They explained that they had this sense of foreboding about their twins and came rushing out to find them. Apparently, twins have a mind link of sorts and could sense some things. Taking one look at the couple lying on the forest floor, Keri leaned down and grabbed both of them. Looking over her shoulder she said to Fred, "If you want to come, grab onto me." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she immediately teleported them all directly to the hospital wing. Madame Pomphrey took one look at Tori and George and ordered them to bed. With a clack of her wand, she changed them into pajamas. She hustled their twins out of the room, saying that they could return in the morning. She grabbed a potion off of the shelf and poured some into two glasses. Handing one to each of them she said, "I am not sure what happened to you, but this will calm your nerves and keep you from dreaming. Drink it all now." She stood over them until they finished their potions and then she turned out the lights and left them to sleep.  
  
Once she was sure the nurse wasn't returning soon, Tori stole out of her bed and into George's, where he had been expecting her. They planned on talking, but there must have been something in the potion Madame Pomphrey gave them to induce sleep, because, no sooner had they gotten comfortable, than they had both fallen fast asleep.  
  
The next morning, Tori and George were released from Madame Pomphrey's care with instructions to take it easy for the rest of the break. Eager to get out of the hospital wing, they accepted her stipulations and high-tailed it back to the Gryffindor common room. However, by the time they got there, they were both exhausted from the long trek because they were still recovering from the ordeal from the night before. For some reason, none of the other Gryffindors were in the tower, so George and Tori decided to wait for them. They curled up on one of the couches, planning on staying awake, but they still fell asleep.  
  
They woke up again, when they heard a commotion outside the portrait hole. They sat up and rubbed their eyes, trying to appear at least partially healthy. The portrait swung open and in trooped all of their friends, laden down with food. Walking over to where the healing couple, they dropped all of the food at their feet and sat down on other chairs.  
  
Seeing Tori and Georges' inquisitive looks, Kayla shrugged, "Well, we went down to the hospital wing to see how you were doing, and Mme. Pomphrey told us she released you. But, we figured you were probably hungry, having missed dinner last night, and breakfast this morning. So, we went to the kitchens and asked the house elves for food. So, eat," she commanded, pointing at the food. Glancing at each other, they dug into the food, saying nothing of their experience, and nothing more was said about it. No one forgot about it though.  
  
Soon, the break was over, and everyone was returning to the school. George and Tori seemed to grow even closer to each other (Tori didn't stop sleeping in George's bed), Fred and Keri still weren't talking to each other despite their cooperation in rescuing their twins, Harry and Ginny somehow managed to become a couple despite her brothers, Ron and Hermione pretended otherwise, but everyone knew they were together anyways, and Kayla and Jason continued practicing with Hope on their swordsmanship. And, they all still had Quidditch practice. When classes resumed, they all fit their work in around their classes.  
  
Before they knew it, it was the spring vacations. There had already been another 2 Quidditch games. Hufflepuff lost to Ravenclaw. And Ravenclaw lost to Gryffindor. The other houses were surprised with the skill levels of the new players. All people knew about them were that they were from the states. It was still a secret that they were from the international high school Quidditch champs. To everyone but their team, it was a surprise that the Gryffindors won. The only match left was the Gryff- Slythie game that wouldn't take place until after the break.  
  
This break wasn't quite as peaceful as the winter break as everyone was busy preparing for their respective tests, the OWL's for the fifth years and the NEWT's for Fred and George. They all tended to study together, and it was during one of these sessions when George threw his quill across the table in a huff. "I'm tired of this!" he exclaimed when everyone looked up at him. "I have been studying to death. I want out! I am going to play Quidditch. Who wants to come with me?" Unsurprisingly, everyone was willing to take a break except Hermione, but even she was convinced with a little cajolery from Ron.  
  
So, Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Kayla, Jason, Tori, Keri, James and Jake returned to their dormitories to change and met on the Quidditch pitch 20 minutes later where they divided into two teams of 2 beaters, 2 chasers, a seeker, and a keeper each.  
  
After an hour, the game was winding down, but Harry and Kayla (who was playing seeker because both Ginny and Ron wanted to play keeper). Finally, Kayla saw the snitch. She turned her broom and raced after it, her cousin on her tail. They were both good, and each seeker was evenly matched, but Kayla's hand was the one that grasped the snitch first.  
  
As soon as it was enclosed in her hand, a bright red light flashed. When the light faded, the 12 students found themselves in the middle of a forest clearing. Everyone was looking around, trying to figure out where they were, when, suddenly, Kayla, Tori, and Keri gasped in unison, "Mother Tree!" they exclaimed. Somehow, they had all been transported to Mother Tree's clearing. However, it being winter, she was asleep still so they couldn't ask her any questions. Kayla, in her foresight, tried to send a message to Hope, _Mother, we were in the Quidditch pitch, and-_ Somehow, an outside force blocked her message.  
  
A sick laughter filled the air and both Harry and Tori paled. A tall man walked into the clearing and walked over to the group of friends. "My dear, I wouldn't advise trying to contact anyone else by your methods, as any attempts, no matter how guarded will be intercepted by me. I don't believe you want me to know what you are telling people.  
  
"Most of you might be wondering who I am. Well, except for Harry. He has known me for years. For the rest of you, I am Lord Voldemort."  
  
Ron and Hermione gasped while Fred and George gulped. The others all shifted into fighting stances, without calling in their weapons. At the slightest provocation, they would have weapons in hand and be ready to defend the group. This was what they had been training for. The others were just to scared to move. The musketeers shifted imperceptibly to better positions to protect to British students. Harry however, just stood there. He was afraid, but he knew, that in a duel, he could defeat this enemy. He was only worried about his friends who he wasn't sure could defend themselves.  
  
"You my dear," Voldemort said, approaching Kayla, "have been causing a lot of problems. I have no clue who you are, but Charles wants you gone."  
  
Chin up, staring straight into his blood-red eyes as she replied, "And just why does he want me gone?"  
  
"He didn't specify, child! He just told me to finish you off with the boy for good measure. So, I am going to do what I promised, and what I started 14 years ago. And, I might as well destroy the witnesses as well. Once I finish that, Charles has promised me rule of part of the world."  
  
"Since when have you taken orders from another!" Harry challenged.  
  
"Since he is the hereditary ruler of the magical forces of the world! He could do whatever he damn pleases. I am nothing in comparison to him!" Voldemort glared at Harry. "Say goodbye kiddies, I will certainly miss you Harry-boy." The musketeers all called in their weapons and Harry brought up his wand as Voldemort raised his wand and opened his mouth to curse them.  
  
Suddenly, his wand flew out of his hand and into the forest where someone caught it.  
  
Hope had been preparing her lessons for the following week when she heard Kayla's frantic call, _Mother, we were in the Quidditch pitch, and-_. She dropped what she was doing when the message was cut off. _Kayla!_ she cried mentally, but her thought was deflected as if by a mirror. She groped after the connection and got a firm location for where Kayla and the others were located. Recognizing it, she blanched. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything on her own, she ran to Remus' rooms where both he and Sirius were.  
  
"I need your help," she said as she barged into the room. She quickly outlined what must have happened to the children and what kind of danger she knew they were in if they were in that particular forest clearing that used to be the hangout for Charles' group of friends. When she was finished, they were only too eager to help. Hope dragged them down to the dungeons where she knew she would find a willing ally in the potions master as he had become very close to Kayla in the months he had known her, despite her being a Gryffindor. Snape, too, wished to help defeat the evil that had the students in his grip and willingly agreed to get along with Sirius for the time needed to do this.  
  
Somehow, Hope managed to hold onto the three of them and teleported to the forest where she knew Kayla was. They got there just in time to hear someone go, "Say goodbye kiddies, I will certainly miss you Harry-boy." Before the voice could curse the 12 teenagers, Hope teleported his wand to her hand.  
  
Wand in hand, Hope stepped into the clearing. Sirius, Remus, and Severus flanking her. Voldemort turned his blood-red eyes towards her in a glare. "Hello, Tom," Hope said coolly. He paled perceptibly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"  
  
"Hope! What are you doing here?"  
  
"Can't you guess? I am protecting these innocent children who have done nothing but be born to the wrong people," she replied calmly.  
  
"You turned on Charles! You meant everything to him and you left! He was a broken man for a long time after you left. I cannot forgive you for what you did to him, but, if you help me now, I might not kill you."  
  
"I can't do that, Tom. I left Charles because his plans for the world were wrong. I did not agree then, and I don't now, and I will do anything to remove him from his position of power and put someone else on that seat."  
  
"Just who, pray tell, are you planning to put in charge of the Tower? Yourself maybe?"  
  
"Oh, good heavens no! I am no person for that job. I was thinking Kayla would be better suited."  
  
"The girl?" Voldemort looked genuinely surprised. "What about her? Does this have to do with why Charles wants her gone?"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid it does." The whole time they had been talking, Kayla had been ignoring the looks from everyone else and had been easing up, silently, until she was right behind the evil wizard. At this time, she called in both her swords and brought them down towards his back, attempting to finish him off once and for all. However, her plans were foiled as he called in a sword of his own as he turned around and blocked what would have been a killing blow. They were moving so quickly, they appeared to be blurs to every one else. Not wanting to accidentally hit Kayla, no one did anything to help her.  
  
Harry was standing there wondering why no one was helping Kayla as he watched his archnemisis battle his cousin. Finally, he decided that it would be possible to stun Voldemort and then kill him. Before anyone could stop him, he held up his wand and concentrated on hitting the evil wizard while whispering with conviction, "_Stupefy_!" A yellow ray of light shot out from his wand and headed toward the rapidly moving bodies. When it cleared, Kayla was panting, and Voldemort was lying on the forest floor.  
  
Sirius walked over to the body, and said to the crowd. "I'm going to finish this once and for all. You might want to turn away."  
  
"I am going to watch. I want to make sure the man who killed my parents is sufficiently dead. I need to see this," Harry announced. Sirius nodded and waited until everyone else had walked off before he pointed a borrowed wand at Voldemort and muttered under his breath the killing curse, "_Avada Kedavra_." A flash of green light filled the clearing and when it cleared, all that was left of the terror of Britain for 50 years was a pile of ash. He was finally gone.  
  
"Goodbye, Voldemort. I will certainly not miss you," Harry told the dust as he turned his back, hoping that maybe now he could have some semblance of a normal life. One that didn't involve being protected by everyone from a wizard that wanted his blood.  
  
He and Sirius turned away from the ashes as a gust of wind came and blew them away. The two hurried to catch up with the others before they all headed back for Hogwarts for what they hoped would be a more peaceful life.


	23. The End of an Era

**a/n: while i don't normally write these, i felt i needed to at least appologize for updating so late. i have been really busy lately what with preparing for ap tests and stuff. hopefully, as it is now almost summer break, i will have more time to write which translates into more time to update. thanks for reading and i love reviews!  
  
Chapter 23**  
  
The group of heroes teleported back to Hogwarts and the adults herded them all to Dumbledore's office where the headmaster would need to be informed. As the twelve people and one dog walked into his office, Dumbledore looked up from the crossword puzzle he was doing. "What may I do for you this afternoon?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "Have these children done something?"  
  
Sirius, who had transformed back into his human form, replied, "Yes, but nothing they need to be punished for." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, and, when no one else explained, Sirius continued, "While it may seem unlikely, we have defeated Voldemort, at last."  
  
"Really! Would you mind telling me how you managed to accomplish that?"  
  
Kayla began the explanation as it originated with her and her friends. The others all added information when she forgot something. When she got to the part where the adults came in, Hope took over, explaining what she had done after she received Kayla's truncated message.  
  
"Headmaster, how come we were able to defeat him, when no one else has been able to?" Hermione wanted to know when everything had been explained and they had all sat in silence for a few moments.  
  
Before he could answer, Harry whispered, "Love."  
  
"Exactly, Harry. Everyone else has tried to defeat him out of fear: fear of his power, fear of what he could do, and fear of all that he stood for. You, however, were not afraid of him. Just like when your mother gave her life to protect you out of love, you were able to stun him out of affection for your cousin and Sirius was able to kill him because he loves you and loved your parents."  
  
"What will happen now, Professor?" Ron asked.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, I believe the aurors will have their work cut out for them as the Death Eaters will become angry as they learn of this news. However, eventually, they will all be subdued or captured and the world will go back to normal until a new evil rises to take his place. I believe it would be for the best, though, if Harry did not return to the Dursleys. I think he and Sirius should go to America with Hope and Kayla. This way, they can be together without hiding. The Americans do not believe that Sirius was guilty in the first place and will be willing to grant him a secret asylum there until I can arrange a trial in England. Now, I believe you have all had a trying day. I suggest you return to your common room and get some rest."  
  
Over the next few weeks, life returned to almost normal, except for the aurors who were busy hunting down the last of the Death Eaters. Most of the Slytherins behaved almost normal, as they didn't want to get in trouble since most of their parents had been sent to Azkaban and wouldn't be able to get them out of anything. In fact, most of them began to be nice to the rest of the school, claiming that they had to pretend to be mean because at least one of their parents forced them. While, at first thought, this would appear to be just a ruse, usually, one of the Americans vouched for them since they could sense that they were telling the truth.  
  
In fact, Draco began to study with the Gryffindors. The first time he showed up he asked if Hermione would mind helping him in Transfiguration. The next day, he asked Kayla and Jason for help in his DADA swordsmanship. Before long, he stopped giving excuses and just came to study along with the rest of the group. At first, Ron and his brothers weren't thrilled to have him there, but, as the others welcomed him (and he came alone as a sign of good faith) convinced them to at least refrain from being openly hostile. Soon, he was spending more time with the Gryffindors than with his fellow Slytherins. In the classes they had together, he had even taken to sitting with them. The Gryffindors had taken to staying in the library until very late hours of the night so that Draco, Jake, and James could study with them. They had formed a fairly strong relationship, and, since his father was in Azkaban, Draco was going to spend the summer holidays with Ron and his family.  
  
So, it was with this less-hostile atmosphere that Hogwarts students entered the week of exams. Each day, the fifth years came back, extraordinarily tired, as did the seventh years. By the end of the week, they were so exhausted all they wanted to do was relax by the lake until the end-of-the- year feast. The group of friends walked into the Great Hall and split into three: Draco going to the Slytherin table, Jake and James going to the Ravenclaw, and they rest going to the Gryffindor table. The entire school enjoyed the feast under the Gryffindor colors (they had won again). Harry was also ecstatic, as they had also won the Quidditch cup, although he gave most of the credit to the help of Kayla and Jason and the rest of the team.  
  
The next day, everyone was in a subdued mood as they were all upset that they would be leaving the castle, especially the American students because they would be flying back to the states the next day and were upset that they would be leaving all of their new friends behind. Most, however, had made arrangements to keep in touch. The entire train ride back, the musketeers and their friends spent crammed into a single compartment, talking about everything under the sun.  
  
Hours later, when the train stopped in London, the group trudged off the train, and said their final good-byes. Then they separated into three groups: Hermione went to her parents, the Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George, plus Draco, went towards Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and the Americans and Harry went with Hope. George managed to grab Tori for one last, lingering kiss and Harry and Ginny were the last out of their compartment, holding hands and smiling widely. The Americans were going to spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron and then catch a flight back to New York City in the morning. From there, they would all teleport to their houses individually.  
  
The only thing they had left to do, was for Hope, Harry, and Kayla to make a trip to the Dursley's house to inform them that Harry would no longer be staying with them and to erase their memories of witchcraft and wizardry. They would believe that Lily had gone to a normal school and met James Potter normally, and that they had had a baby boy, but the three had all died in a car accident. It was lucky for them that they had _forgotten_ to pick Harry up at the train station.  
  
The three of them walked down Privet Drive, following Harry towards number 4. When the reached it, Hope knocked on the front door and the three waited for Petunia Dursley to open the door. When she saw her nephew, she sneered at him, "I suppose we forgot to pick you up. Well, come on in then. Thank you for bringing him, you may go now," she told to Hope and Kayla. However, when she tried to slam the door in their faces, she found that the door wouldn't close.  
  
"I'm sorry, madam, but I fear that we have some business yet, to discuss with you." Barely containing her distaste, Petunia Dursley motioned her three visitors inside her pristine house however she did not offer them anything in the way of drinks or food. She led them to the sitting room and waited with apparent impatience. "I am thrilled to inform you that Harry will no longer be staying with you. The great evil we were protecting him from has been destroyed. He will be returning to America with myself, and my daughter, his cousin."  
  
"Wait a second!" Petunia interrupted. "I was under the impression that we were his only living relatives! Why did we get saddled with the ungrateful brat?"  
  
"Well, that would be partially true," Hope replied, ignoring the question. "No one knew about Kayla or myself. And, even though I am not legally his aunt, Dumbledore thinks it best if I take custody of him."  
  
"Wonderful, we don't want him. How soon can you go?"  
  
"We will be out of here as soon as possible, I don't want to be here any more than you want us here. But I need to erase your memories so that you don't know anything of magic anymore."  
  
For once, Petunia looked slightly afraid, "What are you going to do to us?"  
  
"It won't hurt." Hope took a deep breath and sent her mind out to Petunia's erasing every trace of Harry and magic. She followed Mrs. Dursley's mind to anyone (muggles only) who knew about Harry and, likewise, deleted the parts of their memories concerning him. Finally, Hope altered Petunia's memories of her sister. Now, she remembered Lily as a delightful younger sister who went away to a normal school where she met and fell in love with James Potter. When they graduated they got normal jobs, got married, and had a son. Unfortunately, all three died in a horrible car accident before Harry was a year old. When Hope was sure that these memories were firmly planted in all three Dursley's minds, she led her daughter and "nephew" out the door. As soon as they left, Petunia stood up and looked at the pictures on the mantle and said, "Hmmm...I wonder why I don't have any pictures of Lily on that wall?" before going about her day.  
  
The three of them returned to the Leaky Cauldron where the rest of the Americans had taken over the common room of the inn and were having a party. Harry, Kayla, and Hope were dragged into the festivities as soon as they walked in the door. The Americans were determined to enjoy this one last night in England before returning to their homes. They didn't leave until Tom, the barkeep, threw them out. Then, they spent the rest of the night, running back and forth between each other's rooms. They had nothing left to pack, but they were all too wound up to at least pretend to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Hope rounded everybody up and made sure that everyone had collected all of there belongings from their rooms. Then, she and Remus, along with Snuffles, stood there making sure they didn't leave anything behind as they trundled into the three limos that were, once again, provided for transport to the airport. Like they had the previous year, the three grades split up into separate limos, with Hope, Remus, and Snuffles joining the musketeers and Harry. As soon as they were all settled, Snuffles transformed back into Sirius.  
  
"So, Harry, how would you like me to come to America?" he asked.  
  
Harry looked startled, "How can you do that? You're still wanted!"  
  
"Well, actually, the Yanks never believed that I was guilty. Or, if they did, they just took the stance that I was innocent to protest Crouch's sending me to Azkaban without a trial. So, anyways, when I escaped, their equivalent of minister contacted Dumbledore and told him that they would be willing to grant me asylum. However, Dumbledore didn't know where I was at the time, and when he did know where I was, he thought it would be better if I stayed in the country. But, now, he believes it would be better for me to go with you until he can organize Peter's trial and arrange for a trial. Besides, I can't let you handle the Yanks all by yourself, can I?"  
  
Everyone laughed and Sirius slung his arm around his godson's shoulders. "Now, all we need to do is to cast a glamorie around me so that anyone who looks at me will not think anything special about me. Actually, Hope is going to do some fancy mind trick thingy because if a wizard were to happen to be on the plane with us, they would detect a spell from a wand. Once we are in America, it won't matter because a European wizard won't have any jurisdiction to do anything to me there, and an American one won't care."  
  
"So, what exactly is our story about why I am with you?" Harry asked Hope.  
  
"Well, Kayla is going to move in with me. She had been living with my sister to protect her, but, now, she is capable of protecting herself as we have seen many times these past few years. Maybe, Charles will be confused enough not to attack for a while. Harry, we'll say that you are her cousin from England who has come over to spend some time in the States. You live with your godfather because your parents died in a car crash when you were a baby. He decided that he wanted to see the states as well, so he came with you. We will magically hide your scar to prevent questions about it. Anyone will believe it, even the magical folk. We don't tend to ask many questions because we believe in privacy. Even if they know you are "famous Harry Potter," they won't say a thing. They won't really care why you are in the US. But, just in case, we will say your name is Harry Peters. Close enough that you won't forget it, but different enough that no one will know. Sirius, here, will have to be Sam Brown."  
  
"How come my name can't be close like Harry's?" Sirius complained.  
  
"Because Sirius is way too uncommon a name in the non-magical world. Hell, even in the magic world it is a weird name," Hope explained carefully.  
  
Sirius (aka Sam) crossed his arms and sulked for the remaining limo ride. However, by the time they reached the airport, he brightened at all of the new/muggle things that surrounded him. Without mishap, they all boarded the plane, and, only a few hours later, they all reached the states.  
  
All of the students gathered their luggage, said goodbye to everyone and teleported home. The six musketeers shared a group hug, promising to see each other soon and went on their ways. Kayla slung her arm around Harry's shoulders (even though he was taller than she was) and said, "C'mon, cuz. I'll take you home." Then, she teleported, with Harry, to Hope's house. 


	24. Summer Loving

**an: i know what y'all are thinking: wow, another post! it really isn't all that impressive considering i had written most of this chapter before i updated last night. so, don't go expecting more posts like this. winks  
  
Chapter 24**  
  
That summer was the best of Harry's life. Not only was he not spending it with the Dursley's, but he was in America with his godfather and his cousin (the one he actually liked). Kayla took it as her own, personal mission to make sure that Harry enjoyed himself. Now that he didn't have to worry about Voldemort, she wanted him to have the life he never did.  
  
When they had first teleported to Hope's house (Kayla had moved in with her biological mother after a long discussion with her "adoptive-mother"/aunt before she left for England), Kayla and Hope set Sirius and Harry up on the family room floor to sleep. It was late, and they all had major jetlag, so they didn't feel like setting up rooms for them.  
  
The next morning, (well, since their body clocks were all out-of-whack, it was more like late morning) Hope and Kayla insisted on taking Sirius and Harry out to get new clothes, haircuts, and stuff to furnish their rooms. According to Hope, since they were spending the entire summer in America, there was no reason why they couldn't have decorations they liked. However, the first stop of the morning was a haircut salon.  
  
"NO! You can't make me! I happen to like my hair long!" Sirius screamed when Hope informed him in no uncertain terms that he was getting a haircut along with Harry.  
  
"Be that as it may, Sam, you will look better with short hair," Hope informed him, glaring, her hands on her hips in a way reminiscent of Molly Weasley. Harry had to walk off in order to stop laughing. Kayla rolled her eyes and led Harry inside the barbershop to get his own mop trimmed. An hour and a half later, all four came out of the salon with shorter hair: Hope had just gotten her hair trimmed; Kayla got her long, black, curly hair trimmed and had red highlights added; Harry got his mop cut short and spiked with green highlights (the stylist "gave" him some hair-gel and showed him how to do that to his hair); Sirius, arms crossed and sulking, had his hair cut shorter (not as short as Harry's), and it still looked shaggy.  
  
When they all had presentable hair, Hope and Kayla dragged the guys to the local mall. Once there, they dragged Harry and Sirius to store after store, buying them fashionable clothes that actually fit. They also managed to stop at some home goods stores to buy things for the two guest rooms in the house. They needed sheets, bedspreads, and stuff to decorate the walls.  
  
Therefore, only a couple hours later, the two men looked presentable and were each carrying multiple bags with stuff for their rooms. By that time, it was pretty late, so the Americans took their guests for cheap Chinese food. They all had a couple of laughs over the fortunes in the fortune cookies. Harry and Sirius thought that they sounded like something Trelawney would write.  
  
The next day, Sirius and Hope stayed at the home to set up the rooms while Kayla took Harry to the local optometrist for new glasses. After a considerable wait and a long examination, Harry chose a pair of thin silver- wire framed glasses. Additionally, he asked the doctor for some contacts: he decided that it would be easier to play Quidditch if his vision wasn't tied to his reliance on his glasses. He got the normal clear ones, and he also asked for some colored ones: both blue and brown.  
  
When Kayla had finally dragged him out of the optometrists, they decided to walk around for a little before returning to Kayla's home. As they walked past a jewelry store, Harry suddenly stopped short. Kayla turned to him and raised an eyebrow in question.  
  
"How do you think I would look with an earring?" he asked innocently.  
  
Kayla peered at him intently for a minute or two before replying: "I think you could pull off a hoop in your ear. Gold or silver, it wouldn't really matter. Why? Did you want to get one?"  
  
"I think so," he answered. Kayla grabbed his arm and pulled him into the jewelry shop where he did, indeed, get his left ear pierced.  
  
When they finally made it home that afternoon, Sirius and Hope were sitting at the kitchen table and chatting like the good friends they were (after Sirius living as a dog in her room for a year, they were close). They both did a double take when they saw Harry. Then, Sirius began to laugh, saying that Harry finally looked less like a goody-two-shoes and more like a Maurader. When he finally had himself under control, Sirius and Hope led the teens upstairs so that Harry could see his room. The decorations were somewhat of an early birthday present: Harry had picked out the sheets, but he didn't know what they had bought to decorate.  
  
When Harry opened the door, he just stood in the frame for a minute with his mouth hanging open. His bed was in a corner, covered with the red covers he had chosen the day before. His walls had been painted a gold (Sirius thought he would like Gryffindor colors). Around the walls were hanging a variety of posters and pictures: a handful of posters for different Quidditch teams; pictures of himself along with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and/or his other friends; and, other paintings. His firebolt had been placed on a wooden shelf above a bookcase, which contained all of his schoolbooks along with some others that Hope and Sirius thought he would like. Parchment, quills, and ink had been placed on a desk in the corner, and Hedwig's cage had been placed on a stand by the window.  
  
"I take it you like it," Hope commented dryly.  
  
"It's wonderful!" Harry gushed.  
  
"Glad you approve," Sirius smiled.  
  
After Harry deposited all of his newest acquisitions and they ate dinner, Harry sat down at his new desk to write letters to his friends. After debating whom to write to first, Harry finally decided it would be easiest to write Ron's letter first.  
  
_Ron,  
You wouldn't believe it here! The weird accents are all over the place, man. It is going to take some getting used to. I won't tell you all of what I have been doing so far because I want to surprise you, but I will tell you that my room looks amazing! It is absolutely perfect. I can't wait until you can see it. I miss you guys, but I can't believe I have been missing out on what it has been like to have an actual family, because that is what I have now. You know I have always thought of Sam as the closest thing to a father I have, and Kayla and I have become really close this past year. Besides, although we are cousins, we look enough alike to pass for siblings, twins maybe. And, Hope has become the closest thing to a mother I will ever know (besides yours, of course). Well, tell your family and Malfoy I say hello, will you? How is that working out, by the way? The whole Malfoy staying with you, thing, I mean.  
-Harry   
PS If you can convince your parents to let you come stay here for a week or so that would be awesome! Hope and Sam said it would be okay./I_  
  
When the ink had dried, Harry folded the letter and set it aside. He then wrote to Hermione, saying pretty much the same things he wrote Ron. When that was also folded and set next to Ron, Harry picked up one last piece of parchment and wrote,  
  
_Ginny,  
You know, I didn't realize how deeply I cared for you until we spent a few days apart. I will apologize now for the ultimate sappiness that follows, but I ask you to bear with me, please. When I first asked you to the ball, it was mainly because I didn't want to go by myself and your brothers were acting all weird and I figured it was easier to go along with what they wanted than argue. Then, while we were dancing, I realized how wonderful you were as yourself. Not as Ron's little sister but as Ginevra Weasley, my date. Then, when we kissed...that was the best moment of my life. As we got to know each other during the rest of the year, I fell more and more in love with you. I know it would be better if I told you to your face, but this way you can't see my blush. If you don't feel the same way, we can go back to being friends I guess... I really miss you, and I would tell you what I have been doing here, but I want it to be a surprise. I hope you like it.   
Love,   
Harry   
PS I asked Ron, but if you help, you should be able to convince your parents to let you two come stay here for a week or so. It would be a lot of fun, and both Hope and Sam say it would be okay._  
  
When that, too, had dried and been folded, Harry grabbed the three pieces of parchment and took them over to Hedwig. "These go to Ron and Ginny at the Burrow, girl. And this goes to Hermione," Harry said as he held up the appropriate letter or letters in turn. He watched her fly off into the sky until she was only a small dot in the sky, then he went to Kayla's room.  
  
He knocked on the open door to let her know he was there as he walked in and looked around. Her walls were a light purple and her bed, which had a wooden frame with shelves and drawers, was covered with a purple and green- patterned sheets. Against a wall were two large bookshelves crammed to bursting. She had a desk in the corner on which sat a computer. A beanbag chair sat in the corner near the bookshelves. On her walls were pictures of her adoptive parents, her friends, and her Quidditch team. When Harry entered, she was sitting at her desk on her computer, but she turned around when he entered.  
  
He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "So, cousin," he began. "Since you have no problem with the fact that I do magic, I was wondering if there was any place to play Quidditch around here."  
  
Kayla peered at him intently for a moment before answering, "Well...yes, there is. But, I think that if you are going to spend your summer in the States, you are going to spend at least a few weeks as a tourist. I promise we will play Quidditch before your birthday. And, if not, I promise I will take you on July 31 as part of my birthday gift to you. Deal?"  
  
"Fine," Harry grumbled. "So, what are we going to do while I am here? Don't keep me too busy," he added. "I still have summer work to do!"  
  
"I know you do. So do I," Kayla replied. Then, she grinned evilly, "But, as to what we are doing, that is a surprise my friend. Now, go do some of that work you just admitted to having and let me be!" When he left, Kayla typed in the window on her screen: 'So, it's all set? Good.' Then she turned her computer off and picked up the book that was lying on the floor and began to read.  
  
The day dawned bright and early in the Weasley's home in England. Ginny, rubbing sleep from her eyes, ambled downstairs and collapsed at the kitchen table and mumbled a good morning to her mother. She perked up slightly as she began to eat. Although she was the first awake, the rest of the house came down shortly. Bill was in Egypt and Charlie in Romania, but the rest of the family was there, plus Draco who was staying in Bill's old room. If Mrs. Weasley had been surprised that Malfoy was staying with them and being polite about it, she didn't show it. She was ecstatic to have another person around.  
  
As Ginny brought a piece of toast to her mouth, an owl swooped into the room and landed in front of her. Excitedly, Ginny untied the letters from Hedwig's leg and gave her the toast. Tossing Ron his letter, Ginny ran outside to read hers in peace. She didn't know what was in it, and she didn't especially want her family or Draco to read it or see her reaction to it. Her hair flying wildly behind her, Ginny didn't stop until she reached the edge of the forest where she climbed a tree. She had been climbing this tree since she could walk because she had learned when she was young that to hide from her brothers meant going someplace they wouldn't think of. As she got older, she just climbed when she wanted quiet.  
  
When she was comfortable, Ginny carefully broke the seal and opened the letter. As she read, she began to blush slightly, very glad that she waited until she got outside to read the letter. She smiled slightly as she read the postscript. She climbed back down and headed back into the house and up to her room where she wrote Harry a reply.  
  
Over the next few weeks, Kayla (along with Jason) took Harry around to do "normal tourist things." While it wasn't Quidditch, Harry admitted it was fun. Jason and Kayla had planned it all over the computer that one night Harry walked into her room. They took him to a baseball game, an amusement park, a pool, movies, the mall, etc. They even took him to a beech a couple times (they teleported and stuff). By the time Harry's birthday rolled around, he actually felt like a "normal" teenager doing normal things.  
  
On The 31st of July, Kayla woke Harry at an ungodly early morning. "Get dressed. Quidditch. Now," she told him before leaving his room. At the word "Quidditch" Harry's eyes had snapped open, and when his cousin left, he quickly changed, put on his new brown contacts, and grabbed his broomstick from its shelf, and went downstairs where Kayla and Jason were already waiting for him. After he ate a perfunctory breakfast, she grabbed Harry's arm and a box and they all teleported to a Quidditch field.  
  
"This is part of my school, but it is open to the 'public' during the summer. So we can use it if we want," she explained. "We're just waiting for the others, they should be here in a moment." And, soon enough, the other musketeers appeared. They all did a double take when they saw Harry since they hadn't seen him since they left Hogwarts. However, they expressed their approval quickly and everyone was in the air in a flash. They did not have any clear teams and weren't really keeping score. Both Harry and Kayla were playing seeker and so there was no keeper. If one of them caught the snitch, he or she would let it go and they would chase after it again.  
  
Around noon, they all landed and Kayla unpacked what was in the box she had brought with them: lunch. She had packed sandwiches, chips, and drinks for them all. After they ate, they were back up in the air and playing. When the sun's rays were hitting the tops of the trees, the seven of them landed and prepared to head back to Kayla's house.  
  
They all teleported to the front yard and Kayla pulled Harry with her as she pulled open the front door. "SURPRISE!" shouted a room full of guests as soon as they saw Harry. The startled boy-who-lived glanced around at everybody before smiling. Then, he went in search of a certain redheaded female. On the way, of course, no less than 10 people who wished him happy birthday, including all of the other Weasley's, stopped him.  
  
Finally, he managed to make it into the kitchen, where the elusive 15-year- old had been standing. Ginny had been unsure of whether Harry would feel the same in person as he had in his letters. So, she had been waiting in the kitchen, hoping he would find her. She was just wondering if she had gotten her hopes up for nothing when a tall boy with black hair with green highlights and brown contacts walked into the room. He walked over to her and whispered, "Hello, Ginevra," before kissing her softly on the mouth.  
  
Startled, Ginny took a step back and barely restrained the urge to slap this strange person. "Do I know you?" she asked snottily, instead.  
  
The other began to laugh and responded, "Don't you recognize me? I told you I had a surprise for you. Do you like the new look?"  
  
"Harry?!?!" Ginny gasped. "You look...different. But, yes, I like it. Shame on you for startling me, though."  
  
He only laughed and kissed her again. "So, why are you hiding in here, anyways?"  
  
She looked down and blushed. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me," she mumbled.  
  
Harry put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that he could look into her eyes. "I meant every last word I said in those letters, Ginevra. I like you. A lot. I would be willing to say that I love you, but I don't really know what love is. So few people in my life have said that they loved me. I am willing to work on it, though. So, are you willing to give me a chance?"  
  
Ginny's eyes clouded over and she nodded mutely. Then, hand-in-hand, the two of them left the kitchen and joined the party. Later, Harry couldn't help but admit that it was the best birthday he had ever had. Not only had he not had the knowledge that an evil psychopath was after him, but also he was able to spend it with those he liked. As an added bonus, he received a lot of nice gifts.  
  
From Ron he got a book entitled _Greatest Wizards of the 20th Century_. When he opened the cover, he saw an inscription in his best-friend's handwriting: _Harry- When you get the chance, you might want to read page 212. I think you will find it amusing, mate._ He set the book aside to read later. From Hermione, he received a pair of Seeker's gloves. They were really similar to archer's gloves in that they didn't have fingertips, and the palms had grips. They would not only keep his hands warm in the winter but would also prevent him from losing his grip. From Kayla, he received a book of Seeker's plays. On the inside she wrote: _Cousin- I took the liberty of commenting on the moves inside these pages. I didn't think you would mind too much. You should know that I haven't shared these plays with anyone else and that you should be careful who you let see them so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. You might also consider asking Sam or the twins (Weasley) for a charm or spell to prevent spies._ Ginny gave him a basilisk pendent that was looped on a leather cord. In her note she wrote: _I know that I can never thank you for saving my life in first year. I just wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it. I have been saving money for years to be able to afford this. I have one, too, and I have charmed them so that if the wearer of one were to be in trouble, the other would know it._ Harry also received gifts from the other Weasley's (homemade fudge and a box of Fred and George's latest jokes), from the rest of the musketeers (a beautiful long sword), and from all of his other friends who had come to wish him a happy birthday (including Draco). All in all, he was happy.  
  
It turned out that Mrs. Weasley let her children and Draco spend the week after Harry's party in America. Hermione came, too. During this time, the musketeers and Harry took them all over the place. They enjoyed a crash course in American culture. Then, they took them to Bridgeton's Quidditch pitch for some games/training. However, before everyone knew it, the week was up and they all (except Harry and the musketeers) had to return to England to their families.  
  
Before they left, Fred and George said that if their joke shop took off in England, they would think about opening a branch in the states. Everyone thought it was just so that George would have an excuse to hang around with Tori, but no one said anything. Until that point, they were going to try a long-distance relationship and one or the other would apparate/teleport across the ocean for visits.  
  
After they left, Harry settled into a routine of homework and doing things with Kayla and the other musketeers. Before they knew it, summer had ended and everyone was preparing to return to school. After they all said goodbye, Harry promised to return for the Christmas Holiday, and he teleported (they had taught him how over the break) to Platform 9 and 3/4. 


	25. Junior Year

**A/N: So, here is chapter 25. I apologize for it being very short. I had originally not had very much planned for this year. It is basically just filler until the following year. In case none of you guys knew, I began a yahoo group that is now home to my fics, this one included. I have posted the final chapter and epilogue there if you would like to read it. You would have to join yahoo, but it is free, and it takes like 5 minutes. You can find it at   
http: www.groups.yahoo.com groups Aaye (substitute a backslash for every space).  
  
Chapter 25  
  
**The following year was one of remarkable peace and serenity. For Kayla and the other Musketeers, they readjusted remarkably well to life at Bridgeton. Contrary to their freshman year, the six students had only one (if any) class together. As Jason once told Kayla, because of the different classes that were available to them, they each had to choose an area to devote most of their attention. The only class they all had in common was a single class that would teach them what they would need to know to be in the "normal" world.  
  
Kayla focused on telepathy/empathy, which would help her when she finally managed to defeat her father. The twins chose foretelling as their area of study as they had always been remarkably adept at it. Jason, James, and Jake went with harnessing their telekinesis gifts. All six still took classes in every subject, but they had way more in their own field. They also continued their weapons practice with Hope who felt that over preparation was better than under preparation. She even called in reported "experts" in weapons work to train them. Soon, no one could beat any of the musketeers with his or her chosen weapon.  
  
Surprisingly, Hope even encouraged them to rejoin the Quidditch team. She claimed that it would improve their coordination and stamina. No one was surprised when the six made the team. Apparently, the previous year they had not done well in the global tournament, and everyone was hoping that the musketeers would bring the trophy back to Bridgeton.  
  
During that fall, Kayla was surprised she found the time to do everything that was expected of her. She also kept up correspondence with her cousin, and she was researching what exactly her father was doing. Additionally, they all needed to think about what they wanted to do after high school. Most gifted students went on to colleges and universities where they studied "normal" subjects that would allow them to function in the non- gifted world upon graduation.  
  
Somehow, they managed to do well in their classes and successfully win their first three Quidditch matches. By winter break, Kayla desperately needed a break, though: she was close to a nervous breakdown. As promised, Harry returned to the States for his own winter holiday. This put Kayla in a much better mood. Sirius was excited, as well, because, despite the fact that his name was cleared, he decided to remain with Kayla and Hope. Everyone was in a better frame of mind when they returned to school.  
  
While many of the particulars were still fuzzy, Kayla finally figured out what her father was trying to accomplish. From the floating stronghold, a person, who received the ability from a parent, would be able to control the magical energies of the planet. He or she would be able to control the amount of magic every person would receive at birth: everyone was born with some magical ability, but only some were given enough to actually do anything. A just ruler would only keep the energy fields around the earth stable, but a corrupt controller would manipulate the fields to their own desires. Kayla could only assume that Charles wanted to "adjust" the fields to serve his own purposes, whatever they were.  
  
So, it was with this knowledge that the musketeers finished their junior year at Bridgeton. 


	26. Senior Year

**Chapter 26**  
  
That summer was spent much the way the previous one was. Harry and the musketeers did traditional "normal" teenager activities like going to movies and "hanging out," as well as playing Quidditch and flying races and tournaments that they made up on a daily basis. Again, their British friends came over for Harry's birthday and stayed for a few weeks. It seemed that during the previous year, Ron and Hermione had finally admitted their true feeling for each other. Then, since they were spending so much time together, Ron finally came to terms with his best friend seeing his sister, so Harry and Ginny were able to tell everyone about their relationship. Tori and George had continued to correspond and see each other when they could. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was planning on opening up a branch in the states and George was going to move to manage it. Keri and Fred had never reconciled and were still single.  
  
Throughout that entire summer, Kayla felt a rising urgency to do something. She felt as if a storm was building and she needed to prepare for it, but wasn't. However, she didn't let anyone else know this. She put on a light, carefree face and attitude to go with it. But, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Something she needed to prepare for.  
  
They all continued to train with Hope, even Harry. The gang from Britain also joined in while they were there. The entire group practiced integrating their fighting techniques with both types of magic: with a wand and without one. By the time the summer was over, Kayla was near unbeatable on her own. Partnered with anyone else, the duo was unstoppable. But, they kept training; kept trying to get better.  
  
When the school year started, they began another round of trying to do too many things at once. Added her feeling of impending doom, Kayla was at a constant point of nervous breakdown. Anything more would have tipped her over the edge. But, somehow, she managed to make it through.  
  
Something that helped was that Kayla and Hope decided that she should take a year off after high school before she even thought about college. She would need the year not only to clear her head, but also to go through intense training before she would finally challenge her father.  
  
Towards the middle of the year, Kayla realized something that she didn't tell anyone else. She discovered that she was ready to face Charles. She didn't think another year would make her any more prepared. But, she decided to wait until the end of the year to say anything to anyone. Jason realized something was up, had known there was something wrong since that summer, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to alienate her; she would need all her friends supporting her until the end.  
  
Somehow, she managed to make it through the end of the year, listening to everyone's plans for college and afterwards. For some reason she had this feeling that she wouldn't get the chance to ever make it to college. She knew she was unbeatable (as she had become during the year). It was just a sense of impending doom that got her down. She knew better than to ignore this sense, but her forte was not foretelling.  
  
When their graduation finally came, Kayla was asked to speak at the ceremony. She had awesome grades, and she was also captain of the International Champion Quidditch team. After she was asked, she sat down to write her speech. At first, she couldn't think of anything to talk about. Then, when she just started to write her feelings, she felt like she couldn't stop. She wouldn't let anyone she the speech until graduation day.  
  
The students all sat in their seats as the principle stood at the podium and welcomed the guests, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you who do not know me, I am Principle Rosenthal. As always, this year's students have exceeded my expectations of them. I am proud to have known them and know that they will succeed in whatever they decide to do with their lives. However, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce this year's student speaker, Kayla Osborne."  
  
Kayla stood up and walked to the front of the hall and stood at the podium. She took a moment to look around at all the faces surrounding her. Then, she started to speak, "My fellow graduates and guests, I am truly honored that I have been asked to speak this afternoon. It is an honor that I will never forget.  
  
"While I do not know all of you as well as I should, I know that I am proud to have been part of your class. I walked through the front doors of Bridgeton on the first day of our freshmen year feeling alone and bewildered. I know many of you were in the same boat, for I saw many who looked as I felt. Five people made me feel welcome. They introduced me to this world that I had never heard of before. I assume that, for those of you who felt like me, there were others who made you feel welcome and less confused. This is just one show of how this class is a wonderful group of people: we make each other feel welcomed.  
  
"Whether or not I knew your name, I know I will miss walking down the halls and seeing your faces. No, we weren't close. We didn't hang out on the weekends. We didn't eat lunch together. But, you made me feel welcome. You helped others when they were lost. You always smiled back. Thank you for making my high school years bearable.  
  
"I do not know where we will all be in ten years, or even five years or three months. But, I do know that you will be just as kind and helpful to those you find yourselves surrounded by. Wherever you are headed, remember that every action is repaid tenfold. Every positive action you perform creates a chain reaction; when you are kind to someone else, they want to be kind to another. When you are rude or mean, you upset someone, and they, in return, do not help someone else.  
  
Thank you."  
  
Kayla stepped down from the podium and returned to her seat amidst a round of thunderous applause. She did not know how her speech would be received. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that the principle was calling names so she could hand out diplomas. She was shaken out of her reverie when she heard "Kayla Osborne." She stood up and walked to the front of the hall to receive her diploma before sitting back down.  
  
When everyone's name had been called, the principle called, "It is my pleasure to present this years' graduating class! Congratulations, you made it." Everyone tossed his or her cap into the air.  
  
It wasn't until the next day, when she was practicing with her mother, that Kayla broached a subject that had been bothering her since the previous winter. "Mother," she began, uncertainly, "I think it is time I confronted my father. I am going tomorrow." 


	27. The Battle to End it all

**Chapter 27**  
  
"My hearing must be failing. I could have sworn you just said that you were going after your father," Hope said flatly to Kayla.  
  
"I did. I am not going to live my life in the fear that he will somehow figure out who I am and to come after me. I saw Harry when he lived in the constant knowledge that there was someone out there who wanted him dead. When that threat disappeared, a weight was lifted off his shoulders; he became more carefree. I am not going to let what almost happened to him happen to me. I am not going to walk down the street, looking over my shoulder, wondering if the next person I pass is sent by my father to kill me. I refuse to let some f-ing prophecy ruin my life!" By the time Kayla had finished her little speech, she had stood up, her hands flailing about to emphasize her point.  
  
"But why do you have to go find him? Couldn't you wait until he came? What is the rush? He might not even find out for years," Hope pleaded gently.  
  
Breathing deeply so as not to lose control, Kayla began to pace as she responded, "If I wait until he finds me, he would have the upper hand. In a fair fight, I know I could beat him; no one has come even close in close to a year, not even the 'experts.' But, with the element of surprise on his side...I fear that I might not stand as good a chance. However, if I act before he does..." she let the statement drop off suggestively. Then, Kayla continued, "I want to get him before he gets me. And, for all we know, he might be planning my demise as we plan his. Ironic, huh?"  
  
Hope watched her eighteen-year-old daughter pace back and forth across the wood floor. "I understand. It's just that I have only really known you for less than 4 years. It seems like I only got you recently; I don't want to have to give you up yet."  
  
"Mom, really, I just said I was going to go after my father. You know, stop this madness once and for all. I will come back to you. I promise," Kayla responded, placing her hands on her mother's shoulder, staring into her eyes, before hugging her tightly. "I promise I'll come back." She couldn't see the look of despair that crossed Hope's face briefly; she knew that her daughter would not return to her, but she wasn't going to tell Kayla that. Releasing Hope, Kayla stepped back again. "Now, let's go round up the gang."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I am not stupid enough to infiltrate Father's floating stronghold by myself."  
  
- - - - -  
  
"Everyone knows the plan?" Kayla asked, catching the eyes of everyone in the room. Besides the Musketeers and Hope, quite a few people who knew the truth (including all the Musketeers' parents, Harry, Hermione, the Weasley's, and Draco) had shown up when the Forests sent out the "call to arms." When everyone answered with affirmatives, Kayla continued, "Great. Phase one begins...now." With that, everyone teleported to their stations to await the fireworks.  
  
Kayla and the other musketeers, along with their British friends, reappeared at the main gates to the floating castle. Jason pulled Kayla into a lingering, passionate kiss. As he let go, he whispered, "In case we don't have time later. Besides, it gave George the excuse to kiss Tori, and Ron and Harry to kiss their girls. Draco even kissed Keri. I didn't even know that they were involved. They must have done it behind our backs over the summers. I also think that Draco has been helping George in his store. Would you really want to deny any of them what we both know may be their last chance to kiss their loved ones alive? I wouldn't. And you know that none of them would have thought it acceptable unless we did it first. They already act like you are the queen."  
  
She just smiled. "Let's go," Kayla said in a stage whisper. "Try to keep yourselves alive, guys. I'd hate to have to explain to anyone how you died." A soft, humorless chuckle made its way through the group assembled.  
  
Confidently, Kayla grabbed Jason's hand and, using her telekinesis, opened the large, double doors. Scornfully, she thought, He really should have guards here. I mean, anyone could walk in unannounced. I thought we would meet more resistance. This is too easy.  
  
"Spread out, everyone. Stay in groups of two. Incapacitate anyone you find, but try not to kill, or otherwise injure, anyone. I am going after my father. And, try not to get killed," she warned for the second time that evening. Then, without waiting to see if they had listened to her, Kayla strode purposefully through the long entrance hall towards the doors at the opposite end. To where her father was.  
  
When she finally found him, he was sitting behind a large desk in what Kayla assumed was his study. He was tall and his black, unruly hair had not a trace of gray in it. He was well built and Kayla had no doubt that he could wield any of the weapons hung on the walls surrounding the room. He didn't even look up when he heard the door open. "Yes, yes, Mandara. Just leave the food on the table and I will get to it in a minute."  
  
"I'm not Mandara," Kayla responded without moving.  
  
"Who are you? Mandara is the only one allowed in these rooms. You should know that. Report to Galen immediately for punishment."  
  
"I do not work here, so I will do no such thing."  
  
"Who the hell are you, then? No one else ever comes here."  
  
Kayla smiled evilly before replying, "Are you telling me that you don't recognize me, Father?"  
  
Charles Potter stared at the chit who was standing in front of him, claiming to be his daughter. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound issued from it. He racked his brain trying to figure out who this girl's mother was by guessing her age.  
  
She smiled that familiar smile again, "My name is Kayleen Madison Forest. You broke my mother's heart. Prepare to die." With that she called in Blaze and Thunder (her two swords). However, she did not attack; she held them crossed in front of herself, in a defensive pose.  
  
Charles, still in shock, stared into the girl's eyes. Finally, he got his mouth sort of under control and forced out, "Who...How...When?"  
  
Kayla's lips pulled back in the same, evil smile. "How? I should hope you know how children are made. When? I was born just over eighteen years ago. As for whom...I assume you want to know who my mother is. Well, I am not sure you really deserve to know if you can't figure it out."  
  
"Eighteen years ago, you say...the only woman I was with anytime near then was-"  
  
He broke off suddenly, not wanting to believe the only possible answer he could come up with. "No. No, no, no. No! It can't be. Not her. She wouldn't have."  
  
"Oh, yes. I can tell you know whom I mean. Yes, Hope Forest is my mother. You couldn't have been happy with the power you had. You just had to have this insane plot to take over the world and make the non-gifted live in perpetual fear. You broke her heart, dammit! I am here to stop you and to make you pay for all you have done. Guard yourself."  
  
Kayla finally moved from her defensive stance in the doorway. She began to swing her swords in a complex attack designed to intimidate Charles. He barely managed to get his own swords ready, she had startled him so much with her declarations.  
  
Across the room they fought. If someone had walked into the room, all they would have seen was a blur of swords, clothes, and body parts. They were teleporting from place to place across the room. Kayla didn't hold herself back. She knew what was at stake here. She even attacked his mind with mental blasts and memories she had picked up from others: all their painful and fear-filled memories. She even sent objects speeding at his body: books, pens, boxes, bookends, paperweights, furniture, and everything else in the room. Charles merely dodged what he could and deflected her attacks; he didn't try to attack himself. It frustrated Kayla to no end. After a few minutes, she screamed at him, "Fight, damn you. Fight!" When he still did nothing she shrieked, "What the hell is your problem? Why won't you attack me?"  
  
"You are my daughter," he replied simply. "When you are through with this temper tantrum, we will talk. Together, we could rule. We could control everything."  
  
"You megalomaniac! I want to do nothing more than finish what I came here to do!"  
  
"I do not want to hurt you, Daughter. But you force my hand. You will come to heel. You will bow to my wishes. You will help me."  
  
With that, the fighting started in earnest. Across the room they fought. Objects flew through the air. Kayla continued to bombard her father's mind with all of the horrible images she could access. In return, he tried to overpower her telepathically. No one was winning, until, somehow, Charles managed to hook a sword around Thunder and to pull it out of her hand. He skittered across the floor and Charles put a shield over it so that she couldn't call it to herself. She tripped backwards and fell on the floor, Blaze joining Thunder. He placed the tip of his right-hand sword's tip at her throat.  
  
"You've got one last chance, child. Are you with me?" He smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes.  
  
"I would rather die."  
  
"That is...unfortunate."  
  
Before he could even blink, Kayla slipped her wand out of its wrist sheath and into her hand. She was glad that she had trained in multiple fighting styles. "Petrificus Totalus!" she shouted, rolling out of the way so that if he fell forward, she would not be injured. She quickly stood up, replaced her wand, and rolled his stiff body onto his back. Then she retrieved Blaze and Thunder from the floor and slipped Thunder back into its sheath. She placed Blaze, tip first, over Charles' heart.  
  
"I am sorry, Father. If only things had turned out differently. But, I have to stop you before you gain enough power to cause serious damage to the balance of the world. Too bad we will never get to know each other. And, here is a last, parting thought: although you broke my mother's heart with your megalomania, she has moved on. She is happy with her life and she has met someone else. No one will miss you. Your life has been worthless. Goodbye, Father." Then, Kayla plunged Blaze through Charles' heart.  
  
She was just standing up when the body on the floor began to glow white. The glow coalesced into a ball at the center of the corpse and then floated up until it was level with Kayla's chest. She stared at it for a few breaths. Nothing happened.  
  
Suddenly, the sphere flew into her body. Kayla screamed; the sound echoed throughout the walls of the room and spread throughout the entire palace. Her knees went weak, and her vision darkened. Finally, the scream ended as she collapsed on the floor.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Jason and the others stared at Kayla's retreating back for a moment before following her orders. Stealthily, Jason and Harry crept through the hallways. Whenever they came across somebody, either Harry would stun them or Jason would telepathically cause them to fall asleep. Then, they would bind them. The two used a variety of different methods so that no one person would be able to free them all.  
  
They had just finished up their wing of the palace and were heading back, when a bloodcurdling screech seemed to pour from the stone walls. The two boys fell to their knees on the floor, hands over their ears. "Kayla!" Jason cried, fighting to stand up. Stumbling slightly, he ran as fast as he could back towards the entrance hall and down the hallway where Kayla had disappeared down, not too long ago.  
  
He barreled down the hall towards the door at the end. He jerked it open and rushed inside, stopping at the bloody scene that he stumbled upon. Blaze (Kayla's sword) was plunged into the chest of a man, who was lying on the floor. But, his sight focused on what was behind the man: Kayla was lying in a pool of blood. Jason fell to his knees next to her. She was so pale. He laid his head on her chest. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally felt her breathe.  
  
"C'mon, Kayla," he whispered desperately through tears. "I love you. You can't leave me now. I know I haven't asked you yet, but I was waiting until this was all over. As soon as this whole thing ended, I was going to propose. We would both go to college before we got married, though. We will be so happy. You can't leave me now."  
  
Soft footsteps sounded behind him, but Jason didn't move. A hand was placed on his shoulder and a gentle voice spoke, "She'll be fine, boy. A lot of magical energy was just transferred into her body. It will take some time before her body adjusts. Let's just get her to a nice, warm bed. You'll have to carry her though, I am not strong enough." With that, she turned and walked towards the door, stopping only long enough to make sure that Jason, with Kayla, was following her. After a short trip, the woman opened another door and motioned Jason to set Kayla down on the bed.  
  
"My name is Mandara, and I am the Healer for this compound. Maybe I should explain things to you. When she finally wakes up, she will understand what has happened, is happening, and will happen.  
  
"As the heir to her father, when Charles was killed, Kayleen inherited the responsibility and right to rule this place and control the magical forces on the planet below. This is all transferred from person to person via a magical sphere just as we gain total knowledge of her. But, that process isn't important to understanding the story. Along with this inheritance, comes the loyalty of everyone who serves here. No one would betray her, and she will receive trained, experienced help. She will be safe here. And, while we were all loyal to Charles, we will follow Kayleen willingly since what she will do is what is right.  
  
"One more thing...the two of you can no longer see each other. She must remain here, while you need to return home. I am sorry, boy. It would be best if you pretended she was dead. You and all your friends must return to the world below and go about your lives."  
  
Jason stared at her in disbelief. "She is my life! You are telling me that I should leave my right arm, my heart, my life here and just go about my meaningless existence as best I can without her! Well, I am telling you that I just can't do that!"  
  
"Do not make me remove you by force. Kayleen will understand when she awakens. I will give you five minutes to say goodbye. Do not argue, or I won't even give you that. It is not like she will be able to hear you." Mandara turned on her heel and walked out of the room, closing the door behind herself.  
  
Jason leaned down to kiss Kayla one, last time. Then, he called in a small, black box. Opening it, he made sure that the ring was still inside. Closing it, he placed the box on the bedside table. Then, he added a thought bubble above the box: _Kayla, I love you. I was waiting until this whole thing was over, but I was planning on proposing. I am leaving you the ring since I will always love you. I am told I can never see you again, but I hope you will watch down on me and remember me with as much love as I will remember you. Goodbye forever. I love you, for now and always._  
  
He walked to the door, and with one last, lingering look at Kayla, Jason left the room. Without speaking to Mandara, who he never would forgive because it was she who told him that he could never see Kayla again, Jason returned to the main hall where the rest of their group was congregating, even those who had not been inside the palace to begin with. Everyone was startled to see him alone. Hope was the only one who dared ask, "Where is Kayla?"  
  
His response of "She is as good as dead. Let's go home." prevented anyone else from asking him anything further. No one even said anything about the tears coursing down his face.  
  
When they returned to Hope's house, Jason explained what had happened to the best of his knowledge. Through crying and tears the group decided that they would never speak of what happened to anyone else. They agreed to pretend Kayla died. It would be easier than believing she was alive and knowing that they could never see her again. By the time everyone left except the immediate friends and family, they were all too tired to do anything but collapse on the couches and floor. When they would awake in the morning, they would be sad but would go about their lives as normally as possible. They would get up, get dressed, eat, go to work. In the fall, the teenagers would return to school (for some it would be the start of college). The broken musketeers would talk about her once a year on the anniversary of her "death." 


	28. Epilogue

**Epilogue**  
  
She sat in the throne and concentrated on keeping the balance on the world below. But, she could not help but drift into a haze of melancholy. It had been eight years since she became queen. Eight years since she had been truly happy. She felt like she would never be happy again.  
  
She twisted the ring on the third finger on her left hand. She had already given her heart to someone, but her advisors were pressuring her to take a consort from among the retainers. She knew what her duty was, but she knew that she could never do this one thing. Her line would end with her.  
  
Mandara watched her queen from behind a curtain that was across the room. After watching her queen for eight years, she had come to the conclusion that what she had decided to do then had been the wrong decision. She thought that her queen would need to sever all ties with the world below, but after watching her suffer from severe melancholy, Mandara wondered if she had done the right thing. She would rectify her mistake. She turned on her heel and, quietly, left the throne room.  
  
A few hours later, she returned.  
  
"Your majesty," she began, approaching the queen. "After observing your behavior these past eight years, I have come to the conclusion that I made a grave mistake in sending your friends and family away. Perhaps for some, a life of seclusion is acceptable, but you obviously need more human contact than we have provided. It is probably time that I informed you that, as your loyal subject, you only have to command me to do your wishes. This includes making new laws, directing the business of the palace, and sending me to bring others here." Mandara bowed her head and waited for the explosion she knew was coming.  
  
"Why did you not come forth with this information sooner, Mandara?" the queen replied coolly.  
  
"I should have, but I wanted you to be secure on your throne beforehand. Also, I wanted to make sure you had the magical forces under control before I drew your attention elsewhere. Please forgive me."  
  
"In that case, I believe I need you to retrieve some people from the world below for me..." she said, rising from the throne and making her way to the door, past the kneeling Mandara, "you know whom I mean. I will be in my room until you return. Bring them to the throne room."  
  
The queen walked distractedly to her room. Once there, she sat down on her bed, by the bedside table. She opened the drawer and pulled out a small, black box. The ring that was once in it was now on her finger. But the thought bubble that had been with it was still attached to the box. For what must have been the millionth time, she touched the bubble and listened to the message. She didn't bother to wipe away the tears falling down her face. She never even dreamed that she would see any of her old friends and family ever again. Now that she had the chance, she wasn't sure what to do with it. Would they even want to see her? What would she say? What had they been doing these past eight years?  
  
- - - - -  
  
He turned the key in the lock and walked into his apartment. He threw is bag on the ground and dropped his books next to it. "Guys, I'm back," he shouted, in case any of his three roommates was in, which they probably were since he had been working late in the library. Three of them had known each other since they were little. The other, they met in England.  
  
Currently, he was finishing up law school. After the _event_ eight years earlier, he didn't have much to live for. He went to college, majoring in political science. Then, since he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, he decided to go to law school. His two friends had majored in areas of engineering: one in electrical and the other in computers. They were currently getting their masters in their respective areas of study. The last, with glasses and a lighting bolt scar, had a job on and English sports team. He only lived here when he wasn't in training or traveling, which was infrequently. Their names were Jason, James, Jake, and Harry.  
  
In the apartment next to theirs lived four girls. Two, he had known as long as his own roommates. They were twins. One was finishing her masters in chemistry, and the other was just finishing med-school. Their roommates he had met while in England on an exchange trip his sophomore year in high school. The one their age, with bushy brown hair that had been styled straight, was getting her masters in education. The one who was a year younger and had a deep red hair was in business school. She planned on helping her brothers out; they owned and operated a chain of internationally popular stores. Their names were Tori, Keri, Hermione, and Ginny.  
  
Next door to the girls lived a group of guys who they also met in England. Three were the brothers of the girl with red hair, all with hair the same as hers. The twins owned their own chain of stores and were looking forward to having her help. The third was a journalist. He had a job writing for the local newspaper. Their last roommate had pale, blond hair and was finishing business school, as well. He was the twins' business partner as he used much of his trust fund to help them start their multiple stores. Their names were George, Fred, Ron, and Draco.  
  
Harry and Ginny had been going out since he was fifteen. There were rumors that he was going to propose after she finished school. She was already wearing a promise ring that he gave her when he went off to play. George and Tori had been going out just as long. They were actually engaged; they had been for years, but they were waiting until she finished school. Draco and Keri had only been going out for a little over seven years. During the _event_, he had realized his feelings for her and they started going out. Ron and Hermione had been fighting like an old, married couple since they were eleven, but there wasn't even talk of them getting married. Of course, they could just be keeping it quiet. Fred, Jake, and James were the resident Don Juan's of the group. None of them had stayed with one girl for more than a month or so. And, Jason...well, during that same _event_ he had lost the love of his life. He had vowed never to love again, and he hadn't been on a date in eight years.  
  
Jason continued on to their sitting room where he was met by a strange sight. Thirteen people were waiting for him: his eleven good friends, the mother of his love, and a woman he would never forgive, who he had hoped never to see again. "What's up?" he asked as he made his way in.  
  
The woman was the first to speak, "I know you will probably never forgive me, but I bring an invitation from my queen."  
  
- - - - -  
  
After a while, the queen got up. She wanted to look nice when they arrived, so she put on one of her nicer gowns. The red material with gold trim was floor length, and hugged her body tightly until the waist, where it flowed out. Finally, she placed a golden circlet on her hair, which was the deepest black and was currently flowing down her back.  
  
She glided out of her room and headed for her throne room, where she sat on her throne room and began to meditate. Shortly, she felt presences in her realm that she had not felt in eight years. However, she waited with dignity until they entered the throne room.  
  
The small groups stood and stared in shock at the woman who they had not seen in four years. The first to get over her shock took a small step forward and whispered, "Kayla?"  
  
The queen nodded and replied, "It is I, mother." Hope ran towards her and engulfed her in a teary hug. Within moments, the entire group (except one) had converged upon her. A gigantic group hug ensued. Shouts filled the room. "We thought we'd never see you again!" and "You look good!" and "We missed you." After everyone had hugged her, they all stepped back and let the lone figure in the shadows to step forward.  
  
Kayla held her hand out to the figure. When he grasped it, she said, "Follow me." Then, she led him out to the gardens where the two sat down on a bench. "This is a surprise, Jason. I expected you to move on, despite what you said all those years ago."  
  
"Kayla...I would never be able to move on. You are the love of my life. That is why I left you the ring, which I notice you are now wearing. Mandara told me that you haven't been happy since you gained the throne. She thinks I would make you happy. That is why she brought me here. Without you in my life these past eight years, i realized how much you mean to me, how alive you make me feel. I don't want to take the chance that someone will ever take you away from me. Will you marry me?"  
  
"Of course I will!" Kayla exclaimed without thinking for even a moment. Jason pulled her close and kissed her deeply. She pulled him up, "Let's go tell the others. I also have another proclamation to make."  
  
Back in the throne room, Kayla stood on the dais with Jason at her side. "Everyone, I would like to extend a blank invitation to you for visiting at any time that you want. I especially hope that you come to my wedding to Jason." Chaos followed this announcement.  
  
**THE END**  
  
**a/n: well, that's it. it is over. i hope you liked it. feel free to join my yahoo group at (replace spaces with backslashes) http: groups Aaye in order to vote on what fic i should write next.**


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